Fabrication of solar-driven hierarchical ZnIn2S4/rGO/SnS2 heterojunction photocatalyst for hydrogen generation and environmental pollutant elimination

As a solution to the energy crisis and environmental pollution, photocatalytic production of hydrogen (H-2) in conjunction with organic pollutant degradation has received broad attention. As a proof of concept, ternary ZnIn2S4/rGO/SnS2 heterojunction photocatalyst with high performance and stability were prepared by a one-step hydrothermal method. Experimentally, the composite has been examined for its microstructures and morphologies, as well as its photocatalytic generation of hydrogen (H-2) and tetracycline (TC) degradation performance. The results indicate that ZnIn2S4/rGO/SnS2 heterojunctions possessed the higher photocatalytic activities towards hydrogen production and TC degradation ability (7847 mu mol g(-1)h(-1), 96.5%) than that of SnS2 (756 mu mol g-1h(-1), 60.9%), SnS2/rGO (1680 mu mol g(-1)h(-1), 69%), ZnIn2S4 (540 mu mol g (-1)h(-1), 64.1%), ZnIn2S4/rGO (1242 mu mol g(-1)h(-1), 75%), and ZnIn2S4/SnS2 (4654 mu mol g(-1)h(-1), 84%), respectively. Moreover, it demonstrated excellent reusability and stability after five consecutive cycles for both H-2 generation and TC photodegradation. The intermediates of the photodegradation process were identified by GC-MS methods. Due to the hexagonal and layer structured material and the synergetic effect, the photocatalytic efficiency is greatly improved in the ZnIn2S4/rGO/SnS2 heterojunction photocatalyst, which also enhanced the separation of charge carriers. In this study, we developed a non-toxic, low-cost, highly efficient and recyclable photocatalyst for H-2 production and TC degradation.

Automated summary

In this study, a ternary ZnIn2S4/rGO/SnS2 heterojunction photocatalyst was prepared via a one-step hydrothermal method. The photocatalytic activities of the composite for hydrogen production and tetracycline degradation were examined, and the results showed high performance and stability. The ZnIn2S4/rGO/SnS2 heterojunction photocatalyst exhibited superior photocatalytic efficiency compared to other materials tested.