0D/2D AgInS2/MXene Z-scheme heterojunction nanosheets for improved ammonia photosynthesis of N2

Publication date: July 2019Source: Nano Energy, Volume 61Author(s): Jiangzhou Qin, Xia Hu, Xinyong Li, Zhifan Yin, Baojun Liu, Kwok-ho LamAbstractIn order to explore efficient photocatalysts for N2 reduction reaction (NRR), 0D AgInS2 nanoparticles and 2D MXene (Ti3C2) nanosheets with different mass ratios are employed for building Z-scheme heterostructures. The resultant hybrids exhibit excellent interfacial charge transfer ability according to their optical and photo-electro properties. As a result, the obtained composite (30 wt% AgInS2) shows significant improvement on the photocatalytic performance for N2 fixation with a high ammonia yield rate of 38.8 μmol/(g∙h) under visible-light illumination (>400 nm). Meanwhile, the DFT calculations show that the activation of N2 in a dinuclear end-on bound structure could lead to high adsorption energy (Ead = −5.20 eV). Moreover, the mechanism of enhanced photocatalytic activity was proposed in terms of the quantum calculation between Ti3C2 and N2. This work provides new systems for enhanced NRR performance.Graphical abstract

Source: Nano Energy - April 17, 2019 Category: Nanotechnology Source Type: research