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Fundamentals and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution applications of quaternary chalcogenide semiconductor: Cu2ZnSnS4

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Abstract

Inexpensive, safe, and efficient conversion of solar energy to hydrogen from water splitting requires the development of effective and durable photocatalysts. Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS), the emerging quaternary chalcogenide material for solar energy conversion, possesses many advantages, such as narrow direct band gap (1.5 eV), non-toxic, earth-abundance, and low melting point. Currently, CZTS-based photocatalysts have been extensively investigated for their application as an active photocatalyst in hydrogen evolution from water splitting, while the performance is still highly needed to be improved for the practical applications. In this review, first, the crystal and band structure properties of CZTS are briefly introduced, and afterward, the basic principle of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from water splitting is discussed. Subsequently, the performance and status of bare CZTS, the combination of CZTS and co-catalysts, and CZTS-based heterojunction photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution are reviewed and discussed in detail. Finally, the issues and challenges currently encountered in the application of CZTS and their possible solutions for developing advanced CZTS photocatalysts are provided.

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摘要

实现低成本、安全和高效的太阳能光解水制氢, 关键在于开发高效稳定的半导体光催化剂。铜锌锡硫 (CZTS) 是一种新兴的四元硫族化合物半导体材料, 具有直接带隙 (1.5 eV), 低毒, 元素储量丰富和低熔点等优点。目前, 基于CZTS的光催化剂在光解水制氢中的应用已被广泛研究。尽管已取得了良好的制氢效率, 但要实现商业化应用, 其性能仍有待进一步提高。本文首先简要介绍了CZTS的晶体和能带结构等半导体特性, 然后讨论了光解水制氢的基本原理; 其次, 对CZTS, CZTS负载助催化剂以及基于CZTS的异质结光催化制氢的性能和现状进行了总结; 最后, 指出了目前研究阶段CZTS光催化剂尚未解决的科学问题以及可能的解决方案。

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Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hainan Province (No. 521RC495), Key Research and Development Project of Hainan Province (Nos. ZDYF2020037 and ZDYF2020207), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 6210031211 and 21805104), Innovative Research Projects for Graduate Students of Hainan Province (No. Hyb2020-05), and the Start-Up Research Foundation of Hainan University (Nos. KYQD(ZR)-20008, 20082, 20083, 20084, 21065).

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  1. State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Fine Chemistry, School of Science, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China

    Xin-Long Zheng, Ying-Jie Yang, Yu-Hao Liu, Pei-Lin Deng, Jing Li, Wei-Feng Liu, Peng Rao, Chun-Man Jia, Wei Huang, Yan-Lian Du, Yi-Jun Shen & Xin-Long Tian

  2. Mechanical and Electrical Engineering College, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China

    Xin-Long Zheng & Wei-Feng Liu

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  1. Xin-Long Zheng
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  2. Ying-Jie Yang
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Zheng, XL., Yang, YJ., Liu, YH. et al. Fundamentals and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution applications of quaternary chalcogenide semiconductor: Cu2ZnSnS4. Rare Met. 41, 2153–2168 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-021-01955-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-021-01955-2

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