J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2026, Vol. 243: 228-236.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2025.04.030

• Research article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Lattice match-enabled Zn3In2S6@CdS S-scheme heterojunction with S covalent bond bridge for simultaneous H2O2 photosynthesis and H2 production

Yu Chea, Ke Wanga, Cong Wangb,c,*, Bo Wengd,e, Shifu Chena, Sugang Menga,*   

  1. aKey Laboratory of Green and Precise Synthetic Chemistry and Applications, Ministry of Education, Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry and Applications, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 235000, China;
    bSchool of Energy and Materials, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China;
    cInstitute of Bingtuan Energy Development Research, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China;
    dState Key Laboratory of Advanced Environmental Technology, Institute of Urban Environment Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China;
    eUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  • Received:2025-02-18 Revised:2025-04-15 Accepted:2025-04-16 Published:2026-02-01 Online:2025-05-29
  • Contact: *E-mail addresses: cw2023@shzu.edu.cn (C. Wang), mengsugang@126.com (S. Meng).

Abstract: The key to realizing artificial photosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide coupled with hydrogen generation lies in the construction of efficient bifunctional photocatalysts. Herein, we have successfully prepared core-shell Zn3In2S6@CdS (ZIS@CdS) S-scheme heterojunction with matched interfacial lattices and S covalent bonding bridges by ion-exchange method. The combination of density functional theory calculations and experimental tests exhibit that the ZIS@CdS heterojunction interface with a lattice mismatch of ∼5 % and the presence of two S covalent bonding forms, which provides stable and efficient channels for photogenerated charge transfer. Moreover, the photogenerated charges at the ZIS@CdS heterojunction interface follow the S-scheme transfer pathway, enabling spatial charge separation and high redox potentials. Under the synergistic effect of the matched interfacial lattice, covalent bond bridges, and built-in electric field, the ZIS@CdS heterojunction achieves an impressive H2 evolution rate of 195.9 µmol g-1 h-1 and H2O2 production rate of 92.0 µmol g-1 h-1 without the need of sacrificial agent and oxygen bulging, respectively. This work verifies that coupling lattice matching and covalent bonding is an effective strategy for constructing efficient bifunctional photocatalysts.

Key words: Photocatalysis, Lattice mismatch, S-scheme heterojunction, Built-in electric field