High piezo-photocatalytic efficiency of H2 production by CuS/ZnO nanostructure under solar and ultrasonic exposure

To alleviate the energy shortage and to improve the environmental problems, low-cost and highly efficient materials for H 2 production are of considerable importance. Here, we report a nanostructure from CuS/ZnO NWs on steel mesh via a two-step hydrothermal route for piezo-photocatalytic H 2 production. The CuS/ZnO exhibits an absorption band in visible and ultra-violet bands. Under solar and ultrasonic exposure, the CuS/ZnO NWs demonstrate great piezo-photocatalytic performance (140 μmol g −1  h −1 ). The working mechanism can be attributed to the piezo-photocatalytic effect that the photogenerated electrons and holes are driven along opposite directions by built-in electrical field, decreasing the recombination rate and producing H 2 . This H 2 production mechanism holds great promise for development novel clean fuel.