Utilization of Metal Sulfide Material of (CuGa)(1-x)Zn(2x)S2 Solid Solution with Visible Light Response in Photocatalytic and Photoelectrochemical Solar Water Splitting Systems.
Upon forming a solid solution between CuGaS2 and ZnS, we have successfully developed a highly active (CuGa)(1-x)Zn(2x)S2 photocatalyst for H2 evolution in the presence of sacrificial reagents under visible light irradiation. The Ru-loaded (CuGa)0.8Zn0.4S2 functioned as a H2-evolving photocatalyst in a Z-scheme system with BiVO4 of an O2-evolving photocatalyst and Co complexes of an electron mediator. The Z-scheme system split water into H2 and O2 under visible light and simulated sunlight irradiation. The (CuGa)(1-x)Zn(2x)S2 possessed a p-type semiconductor character. The photoelectrochemical cell with a Ru-loaded (CuGa)0.5ZnS2 photocathode and a CoO(x)-modified BiVO4 photoanode split water even without applying an external bias. Thus, we successfully demonstrated that the metal sulfide material group can be available for Z-scheme and electrochemical systems to achieve solar water splitting into H2 and O2.
†Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Tokyo University of Science, 1-3 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan.
Takaaki
T
Kato
†Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Tokyo University of Science, 1-3 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan.
Yuichiro
Y
Hakari
†Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Tokyo University of Science, 1-3 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan.
Satoru
S
Ikeda
†Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Tokyo University of Science, 1-3 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan.
Qingxin
Q
Jia
†Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Tokyo University of Science, 1-3 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan.|‡Photocatalysis International Research Center, Research Institute for Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, 2641 Noda-shi, Yamazaki, Chiba-ken 278-8510, Japan.
Akihide
A
Iwase
†Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Tokyo University of Science, 1-3 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan.|‡Photocatalysis International Research Center, Research Institute for Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, 2641 Noda-shi, Yamazaki, Chiba-ken 278-8510, Japan.
Akihiko
A
Kudo
Z-scheme; artificial photosynthesis; band engineering; hydrogen; photocathode; solar energy conversion; solid solution