Sulphur vacancies modified Cd_0.5Zn_0.5S/Bi₂S₃: Engineering localized surface plasma resonance enhanced visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution

The optical and electronic properties of plasmonic semiconductor nanomaterials have attracted a lot of attention. In this study, sulfur vacancies was regulated to achieve carriers density of 10¹⁷ ~ 10²³cm⁻³, with the characteristics of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). Since the excitation of LSPR, the plasma electrons on the semiconductor surface are elevated to a higher energy state. These electrons can overcome the energy barrier between BS and Cd_0.5Zn_0.5S (CZS), directly transferred to the conduction band (CB) CZS components as electron donor. This effect may cause more electrons on the semiconductor CB to react with H₂O to generate more hydrogen. By calculating the Debye length, the scale of the charge effect in the plasma is measured. It can be proved that LSPR is instrumental in the available separation of electrons and holes in semiconductors, and significantly improves the hydrogen production effect of CZS/BS-1.5 nanocomposites. This research furnishes new insights for the construction of efficient and novel polyphase photocatalysts.