Synthesis of ZnIn 2 S 4 @Co 3 S 4 particles derived from ZIF-67 for photocatalytic hydrogen production.

In this work, ZIF-67 derivative Co 3 S 4 with diamond dodecahedron structure was firstly synthesized via a series of reactions, and ZnIn 2 S 4 @Co 3 S 4 heterostructures with adjustable band gaps were successfully obtained through a simple hydrothermal method. Consequently, ZnIn 2 S 4 @Co 3 S 4 heterostructures have significantly enhanced visible light absorption and improved photocatalytic efficiency, among which the ZC-5 composite exhibits the highest photocatalytic hydrogen production rate up to 4261 μmol g -1 h -1 under simulated sunlight, to be approximately 4.8 times higher than that of pure ZnIn 2 S 4 . The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be attributed to faster electron transfer and more efficient electron-hole pairs separation derived from the heterostructures which form at the interface between Co 3 S 4 and ZnIn 2 S 4 . Thus, this study provides a good strategy for photocatalytic hydrogen production without precious metals using heterostructures.