TY  - EJOU
AU  - Zhang, Yuanyi 
AU  - Gu, Yang 
AU  - Lan, Yuxin 
AU  - Wang, Zhenyu 
AU  - Yan, Wei 
AU  - Wei, Yingcong 
AU  - Xu, Jing 

TI  - Zn Vacancy-Regulated Zn<sub>0.4</sub>Cd<sub>0.6</sub>S for Enhanced Charge Separation and Boosted Photocatalytic H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> Generation
T2  - Chalcogenide Letters

PY  - 2026
VL  - 23
IS  - 5
SN  - 1584-8663

AB  - Photocatalytic H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> synthesis from O<sub>2</sub> is a green and environmentally friendly route. However, due to the limitations of quick recombination of photogenerated electrons and limited O<sub>2</sub> activation ability, photocatalytic reactions often exhibit low efficiency. In this study, Zn vacancy-engineered Zn<sub>0.4</sub>Cd<sub>0.6</sub>S (Zn<sub>V</sub>-ZCS) photocatalysts were successfully constructed via a hydrothermal strategy using L-cysteine as a coordination agent. The optimized Zn<sub>V</sub>-ZCS-10 catalyst achieves an impressive H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> production rate of 44.39 mmol/g within 1 h under 425 nm irradiation, approximately 2.3 times higher than that of pristine Zn<sub>0.4</sub>Cd<sub>0.6</sub>S (ZCS). Structural characterization and cycling performance tests confirm that the introduction of Zn vacancies does not alter the pristine hexagonal crystal phase of the material, demonstrating good stability. Photoelectrochemical and spectroscopic analyses reveal that Zn vacancies effectively enhance charge carrier separation and reduce charge transfer resistance. Meanwhile, the presence of cation vacancies reconstructs the local electronic environment, promoting the activity of the Zn<sub>0.4</sub>Cd<sub>0.6</sub>S catalyst for H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> production via the superoxide radical (·O<sub>2</sub><sup>−</sup>)-mediated pathway. This work highlights the crucial role of cation vacancies in modulating carrier dynamics in sulfide semiconductors for efficient photocatalytic H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> production.
KW  - Zn<sub>0.4</sub>Cd<sub>0.6</sub>S; cation vacancies; Zn vacancies; photocatalytic H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> production

DO  - 10.32604/cl.2026.082986