A Nonmetal Plasmonic Z-Scheme Photocatalyst with UV- to NIR-Driven Photocatalytic Protons Reduction.

Zhang, Zhenyi; Huang, Jindou; Fang, Yurui; Zhang, Mingyi; Liu, Kuichao; Dong, Bin · Adv Mater · 2017

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Ultrabroad-spectrum absorption and highly efficient generation of available charge carriers are two essential requirements for promising semiconductor-based photocatalysts, towards achieving the ultimate goal of solar-to-fuel conversion. Here, a fascinating nonmetal plasmonic Z-scheme photocatalyst with the W<sub>18</sub> O<sub>49</sub> /g-C<sub>3</sub> N<sub>4</sub> heterostructure is reported, which can effectively harvest photon energies spanning from the UV to the nearinfrared region and simultaneously possesses improved charge-carrier dynamics to boost the generation of long-lived active electrons for the photocatalytic reduction of protons into H<sub>2</sub> . By combining with theoretical simulations, a unique synergistic photocatalysis effect between the semiconductive Z-scheme charge-carrier separation and metal-like localized-surface-plasmon-resonance-induced "hot electrons" injection process is demonstrated within this binary heterostructure.