Fabrication of novel ZnTe-based photocatalyst: Synergistic effect of dye sensitization and bridge engineering for boosting hydrogen evolution over ZnTe

Herein, a novel ZnTe-based photocatalyst is successfully synthesized via a facile combination of water-bath and hydrothermal processes. Morphology characterization and X-ray diffraction analysis reveal that ZnTe presents irregular granular shape and cubic crystal structure. Moreover, Mott-Schottky measurement shows that the conduction band potential of ZnTe is −0.84 V (vs NHE). With Eosin Y (EY) sensitization, ZnTe exhibits superior photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity (223.5 μmol g−1 h−1). Meanwhile, WC-ZnTe heterojunction is constructed by depositing ZnTe nanoparticles on bulk WC and obtains the optimal H2 generation rate (559.1 μmol g−1 h−1) under EY sensitization. Electrochemical and photoluminescence results further prove that WC as electron bridge could reduce the interfacial resistance and suppress e−-h+ pairs recombination. This study explores the potential application of ZnTe as a newly active photocatalyst in photocatalytic water splitting, and emphasizes the synergistic effect of dye sensitization and bridge engineering.