Synergistic effects of photothermal response and Schottky junction for enhanced photothermal-assisted photocatalytic hydrogen production

To advance the development of clean and sustainable energy, photocatalytic H 2 production emerges as an innovative technology that harnesses natural sunlight and water resources to address the current energy crisis. Based on significant contributions of the built-in electric field and photothermal effect for boosted photocatalytic hydrogen production, we developed a core–shell photocatalyst with Co spheres as the core and ZnIn 2 S 4 (ZIS) nanoflowers as the shell to achieve effective synergy between these two effects. Under the strong synergistic influence of the Schottky barrier and photothermal effect, this optimized photocatalyst achieved a maximum photothermal-assisted photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of 8.3 mmol g −1  h −1 , which is approximately 11 times that of the pure ZIS, with an apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of 11.34 % under the wavelength of 420 nm. The Schottky barrier formed between ZIS and Co facilitates the transfer of electrons from Co to ZIS, while the photothermal effect increases the catalyst’s temperature and further enhances the separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes. This work highlights the potential applications of the synergistic effects of Schottky junctions and photothermal effects in the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy.