S-Scheme ZIF-67/CuFe-LDH Heterojunction for High-Performance Photocatalytic H₂ Evolution and CO₂ to MeOH Production

Abstract

The S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst holds potential for better photocatalysis owing to its capacity to broaden the light absorption range, ease electron–hole separation, extend the charge carrier lifespan, and maximize the redox ability. In this study, we integrate zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs-67) with the CuFe-LDH composite, offering a straightforward approach towards creating a novel hybrid nanostructure, enabling remarkable performance in both photocatalytic hydrogen (H 2 ) evolution and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to methanol (MeOH) conversion. The ZIF-67/CuFe-LDH photocatalyst exhibits an enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of 7.4 mmol g –1 h –1 and an AQY of 4.8%. The superior activity of CO 2 reduction to MeOH generation was 227 μmol g –1 h –1 and an AQY of 5.1%, and it still exhibited superior activity after continuously working for 4 runs with nearly negligible decay in activity. The combined spectroscopic analysis, electrochemical study, and computational data strongly demonstrate that this hybrid material integrates the advantageous properties of the individual ZIF-67 and CuFe-LDH exhibiting distinguished photon harvesting, suppression of the photoinduced electron–hole recombination kinetics, extended lifetime, and efficient charge transfer, subsequently boosting higher photocatalytic activities.