Electrophoretic deposition of ZnSnO3/MoS2 heterojunction photoanode with improved photoelectric response by low recombination rate

Photoactive heterostructures with low recombination rate of photocarriers, high photostability, and easy fabrication methods are desirable for the future photoelectrochemical applications. Herein, photostable ZnSnO3 and MoS2 based heterojunction photoanodes were synthesized readily via an electrophoretic deposition method. The photoelectrochemical measurements revealed that the maximum photocurrent density of these ZnSnO3/MoS2 heterojunction photoanodes is ∼2.3 times and ∼27.3 times larger than that of pristine ZnSnO3 and pristine MoS2 photoanodes at the same experimental condition, respectively. According to the high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, we can confirm that the ZnSnO3/MoS2 interface forms a type II band alignment. Photoelectrochemical property of the ZnSnO3/MoS2 photoelectrodes is enhanced mainly attribute to the separation improvement of photogenerated carriers at the ZnSnO3/MoS2 interface, which is proved by the impedance spectroscopy analysis. This work confirms that two-dimensional materials such as MoS2 as a most stable narrow band-gap materials can alleviate the photocarrier recombination rate to improve the traditional photoactive materials, which have great potential applications in photoelectrochemical cells. •Novel ZnSnO3/MoS2 heterostructure photoanodes were synthesized by electrophoretic deposition method.•The ZnSnO3/MoS2 heterostructure photoanode shows improved photoelectric response.•The type-II band alignment of ZnSnO3/MoS2 heterojunction has been formed.•The photoelectric enhancement of ZnSnO3/MoS2 photoanode is mainly due to effective charge separation.