Topological insulator Bi2Te3 and graphene oxide synergistically enhance the photothermal effect and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity

Photothermal co-catalysis with the partial conversion of solar energy to thermal energy has the potential to overcome the current bottleneck of realizing efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production with zero artificial energy consumption. However, it is still challenging to design highly efficient photocatalysts that can make use of light and thermal energy synergistically. In this work, we successfully improved the photothermal effect and visible-light-catalyzed hydrogen evolution performance by constructing a novel heterojunction based on the topological insulator Bi2Te3 and graphene oxide (GO) synergistically modified with Zn0.67Cd0.33S. The photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of the 1.1 wt% Bi2Te3@0.05% GO@Zn0.67Cd0.33S heterojunctions reached 11.52 mmol/h/g (Apparent Quantum Yield of 21.7%), which was 12.9 times higher than that of pure Zn0.67Cd0.33S. Furthermore, the hydrogen production rate reached 71.79 mmol/h/g without cooling. The improved photocatalytic activity originated from the synergistic enhancement of visible-light absorption and the systematic enhancement of the photothermal effect by the Bi2Te3 and GO. In addition, the high electrical conductivity of the topological insulator Bi2Te3 and the high proton conductivity of GO not only increased the electron transfer rate but also synergistically mediated the acceleration of the hydrogen generation reaction. The obtained results illustrate a promising strategy for the development of efficient new photothermal catalysts.