Selective two-electron oxygen reduction for H2O2 photosynthesis with anthraquinone-modified UiO-66/Zn3In2S6 heterojunctions

요약

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2026, Advance ArticleDOI: 10.1039/D6TA02264B, PaperJie Gao, Chunsheng Ding, Bonan Li, Dian Zhang, Lin Wang, Xiaowen Ruan, Sai Kishore RaviSolar-driven artificial photosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has emerged as a promising strategy…

본문

Selective two-electron oxygen reduction for H2O2 photosynthesis with anthraquinone-modified UiO-66/Zn3In2S6 heterojunctions

Jie Gao,a Chunsheng Ding,a Bonan Li,a Dian Zhang,a Lin Wang,a Xiaowen Ruan*a and Sai Kishore Ravi

*a Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

a School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, P.R. China
E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Solar-driven artificial photosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has emerged as a promising strategy for sustainable chemical production, yet its performance is often limited by rapid recombination of photogenerated charge carriers. Herein, an anthraquinone-modified UiO-66/Zn3In2S6 (denoted as Zn3In2S6/UiO-66-AQ) heterojunction is constructed to promote spatial separation of photogenerated charge carriers, thereby suppressing carrier recombination and enhancing H2O2 photosynthesis. The optimized photocatalyst achieves an H2O2 evolution rate of 4668 µmol g−1 h−1 in pure water without sacrificial agents, representing nearly a fourfold improvement over pristine Zn3In2S6. Mechanistic investigations combining radical scavenging experiments and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy suggest that H2O2 generation predominantly proceeds through a photogenerated electron-driven two-electron oxygen reduction (2e− ORR) pathway, with the superoxide radical (˙O2−) acting as a key intermediate. In situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy further provides spectroscopic insights into the evolution of reaction intermediates during H2O2 formation. The catalyst also demonstrates stable performance over 8 cycles, and the generated H2O2 exhibits antibacterial activity against environmental Gram-negative bacteria. These results highlight the potential of Zn3In2S6/UiO-66-AQ heterojunctions for solar-driven H2O2 photosynthesis and related environmental applications.