Z-scheme S-modified Zn 0.2 Cd 0.8 S/ α-Fe 2 O 3 heterostructure for enhanced photoelectrochemical water oxidation

A Z -type heterojunction system is proven to be an efficient strategy to promote the separation of photo-generated carriers and maintain strong redox capacity for an enhanced photoanode. Herein, we synthesized a S-modified Fe 2 O 3 /Zn 0.2 Cd 0.8 S (Fe/ZCS) photoanode by one-pot hydrothermal treatment of FeOOH/Zn 0.2 Cd 0.8 S precursor film, followed by vapor deposition treatment. The as-synthesized S-modified Fe/ZCS displayed enhanced PEC water oxidation performance with a photocurrent density (2.76 mA cm -2 ) of about 2.63 times that of a pure phase Fe 2 O 3 and 2.05 times that of Fe/ZCS at 1.23 V RHE . After 8 h of continuous operation, the photocurrent density retention rate was still 96.4 % demonstrating its satisfactory stability. Benefiting from the morphology of fine nanorods, the fabricated Z-scheme heterostructure exhibited strong oxidation - reduction ability and the welldistributed Fe(III)-SO 4 2- bonds played key roles as the electron capture centers. The fabricated Z-scheme photoanode exhibited prospective applications in sustainable photoelectrochemical water oxidation.