Design and mechanistic insights into Ti-oxo Cluster/CdS Z-type heterojunctions for enhanced photocatalytic water splitting

IF 4.2 3区工程技术 Q2 ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC

Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing Pub Date : 2025-03-10 DOI:10.1016/j.mssp.2025.109453

Yong-Fei Li , Heng-Yi Wang , Hua Yang , Ling-Qian Kong , Ming-Yu Dou , Yu Cui , Jian-Min Dou

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The construction of Z-type heterojunction and the development of the multiple electron transfer pathways can effectively enhance the photocatalytic activity by promoting the separation of electron-hole (e^-/h⁺) pairs and inhibiting their recombination. In this study, a Z-type Ti-oxo cluster/CdS heterojunction was successfully constructed, exhibiting high-density electron aggregation on the Ti-O metal ring and achieving remarkable separation of e^-/h ⁺ pairs. The results demonstrated that CdS nanorods closely adhered to the surface of the Ti-oxo cluster, forming an ohm contact between the two components and a Z-type heterojunction that facilitated efficient separation of photogenerated e^-/h ⁺ pairs during photocatalytic HER. The optimized Ti-oxo cluster/CdS-4 composite exhibited excellent photocatalytic HER activity of 1307.125 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹ under visible light irradiation, which was 5.4 times and 195.18 times higher than those of pure CdS and Ti-oxo cluster, respectively. A series of optical measurements revealed that the Z-type heterojunction significantly enhanced the separation of photogenerated e^-/h ⁺ pairs, thereby improving photocatalytic HER performance. Based on experimental results and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, a possible photocatalytic mechanism was proposed. The DFT analysis indicated that high-density electron aggregation on the Ti-O metal ring promoted the interaction between electrons and protons, thereby enhancing photocatalytic HER activity.

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来源期刊

Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing 工程技术-材料科学：综合

CiteScore

8.00

自引率

4.90%

发文量

780

审稿时长

42 days

期刊介绍： Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing provides a unique forum for the discussion of novel processing, applications and theoretical studies of functional materials and devices for (opto)electronics, sensors, detectors, biotechnology and green energy. Each issue will aim to provide a snapshot of current insights, new achievements, breakthroughs and future trends in such diverse fields as microelectronics, energy conversion and storage, communications, biotechnology, (photo)catalysis, nano- and thin-film technology, hybrid and composite materials, chemical processing, vapor-phase deposition, device fabrication, and modelling, which are the backbone of advanced semiconductor processing and applications. Coverage will include: advanced lithography for submicron devices; etching and related topics; ion implantation; damage evolution and related issues; plasma and thermal CVD; rapid thermal processing; advanced metallization and interconnect schemes; thin dielectric layers, oxidation; sol-gel processing; chemical bath and (electro)chemical deposition; compound semiconductor processing; new non-oxide materials and their applications; (macro)molecular and hybrid materials; molecular dynamics, ab-initio methods, Monte Carlo, etc.; new materials and processes for discrete and integrated circuits; magnetic materials and spintronics; heterostructures and quantum devices; engineering of the electrical and optical properties of semiconductors; crystal growth mechanisms; reliability, defect density, intrinsic impurities and defects.