A one-photon excitation pathway in 0D/3D CoS2/ZnIn2S4 composite with nanoparticles on micro-flowers structure for boosted visible-light-driven photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Converting solar energy into hydrogen production is a promising approach to tackle the energy crisis. However, developing excellent photocatalytic materials with properties of positive visible light response, high efficiency and photostability remain a great challenge. Herein, we developed a one-photon excitation path system by coupling 3D ZnIn2S4 micro-flowers with 0D CoS2 nanoparticles for hydrogen evolution, with an optimal hydrogen evolution rate of 22.24 mmol h−1 g−1. The systematic characterizations and DFT calculations disclose that the improved performance is ascribed to the construction of 0D/3D with multi-reflection and exposed reaction sites, as well as the incorporation of CoS2 and ZIS via a one-photon excitation pathway, achieving the acceleration of photoinduced charge separation and transfer. This work shed light on the design of 0D/3D photocatalysts with high hydrogen evolution performance via a one-photon excitation pathway.