Core-shell nanoconfinement: Nanoreactors for directional electron migration in photothermal-assisted photocatalytic hydrogen production

Photothermal-assisted photocatalysis play crucial factors in solar to chemical/thermal energy conversion via the light–matter interaction. Herein, a photothermal nanoconfinement reactor comprised of a co-catalyst (Mo2C hollow spheres) as the core and a semiconductor photocatalyst (ZnIn2S4 nanosheets) as the shell was designed for achieving high-efficient photothermal-assisted photocatalytic H2 production. Remarkably, the optimal Mo2C@ZnIn2S4 core–shell nanoreactor attains an astonishing H2 evolution rate of 26.1 mmol g−1 h−1 under simulated sunlight irradiation and apparent quantum efficiencies (AQE, 420 nm) value of 19.4 %. The enhanced photocatalytic H2 production performance is attributed the unique core–shell structure can induce the directional migration of the photo-generated electrons excited by the shell (ZnIn2S4) to the nuclear region (Mo2C) with photothermal property, and effectively transport the electrons to the high-temperature zone through the nanoconfinement effect, thus ensuring the effective separation of the photogenerated carriers. This study provides an innovative design for high-efficient photothermal-assisted photocatalyst based on nanoconfinement effect.