Synergistic role of plasmonic Au-doped MOF with ZnIn2S4/MoS2 nanosheets for boosted photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

The construction of a well-defined and efficient Z-scheme heterostructure with enhanced photogenerated charge carriers and their rapid transfer is vital for realizing efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production, to achieve carbon neutrality. Herein, we study the H₂ evolution reaction by rationally constructing a hybrid Au-anchored UiO-66-NH₂ with localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) properties, embedded with ZnIn₂S₄/MoS₂ nanosheets. Interestingly, the synergistic effect of excellent heterojunction, tunes additional catalytic active sites, provides effective separation of photogenerated charges at the junction interface and establishes a dedicated microenvironment for the boosted electron transfer. Notably, the optimized hybrid photocatalyst (Au₆@U6N)₁₅/ZIS/MS₅ exhibits highly efficient H₂ generation of 58.2 ​mmol ​g⁻¹ ​h⁻¹, which is almost 16 and 1.5 folds of the pristine ZIS and MS/U6N/ZIS, correspondingly. It has an apparent quantum efficiency of 19.6% at a wavelength of 420 ​nm, surpassing several reported MOF-based ZnIn₂S₄ photocatalytic H₂ evolution activities. Significantly, this research provides insights into the design of interface-engineered plasmonic MOF with layered encapsulated heterostructures that elucidate the role of plasmonic LSPR effect and efficiently regulate the charge transfer with enhanced microchannels, hence boosting the visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity for realizing efficient green energy conversion.