ZIF-67-derived flower-like ZnIn2S4@CoS2 heterostructures for photocatalytic hydrogen production

Photocatalytic hydrogen production using renewable energy sources is promising as a new method of energy supply. Research on photocatalytic materials has received increasing attention. In this work, efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production was achieved by using ZnIn2S4@CoS2 heterostructures as photocatalysts. The heterostructures were prepared by a simple hydrothermal method using ZIF-67 derived Co3O4 as a precursor. ZIF-67 derived Co3O4 inherits the dodecahedral structure of ZIF-67. ZnIn2S4 nanosheets uniformly grew on the surface of CoS2, which is prepared from Co3O4. The heterostructures achieved a high hydrogen production rate, about 3.2 times higher than that of pristine ZnIn2S4 under simulated sunlight. The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the faster electron transfer and more efficient electron–hole pair separation, which are formed in the heterostructure at the interface between CoS2 and ZnIn2S4. This study provides a strategy for noble metal-free photocatalytic hydrogen production using heterostructures.