Construction of a BiVO 4 /V S -MoS 2 S-scheme heterojunction for efficient photocatalytic nitrogen fixation.

Photocatalytic nitrogen (N 2 ) reduction to ammonia (NH 3 ), adopting H 2 O as the electron source, suffers from low efficiency owing to the sluggish kinetics of N 2 reduction and the requirement of a substantial thermodynamic driving force. Herein, we present a straightforward approach for the construction of an S-scheme heterojunction of BiVO 4 /V S -MoS 2 to successfully achieve photocatalytic N 2 fixation, which is manufactured by coupling an N 2 -activation component (V S -MoS 2 nanosheet) and water-oxidation module (BiVO 4 nanocrystal) through electrostatic self-assembly. The V S -MoS 2 nanosheet, enriched with sulfur vacancies, plays a pivotal role in facilitating N 2 adsorption and activation. Additionally, the construction of the S-scheme heterojunction enhances the driving force for water oxidation and improves charge separation. Under simulated sunlight irradiation (100 mW cm -2 ), BiVO 4 /V S -MoS 2 exhibits efficient photocatalytic N 2 reduction activity with H 2 O as the proton source, yielding NH 3 at a rate of 132.8 μmol g -1 h -1 , nearly 7 times higher than that of pure V S -MoS 2 . This study serves as a noteworthy example of efficient N 2 reduction to NH 3 under mild conditions.