Construction of 0D/2D Schottky Heterojunctions of ZnO and TiC Nanosheets with the Enriched Transfer of Interfacial Charges for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

The development of cost-effective co-catalysts of high photocatalytic activity and recyclability is still a challenge in the energy transformation domain. In this study, 0D/2D Schottky heterojunctions, consisting of 0D ZnO and 2D TiC, were successfully synthesized by the electrostatic self-assembling of ZnO nanoparticles on TiC nanosheets. In constructing these heterojunctions, TiC nanosheets acted as a co-catalyst for enhancing the transfer of excitons and their separation to support the photocatalytic response of ZnO. The as-prepared ZnO/TiC composites demonstrate an abbreviated charge transit channel, a huge interfacial contact area and the interfacial electrons' transport potential. The extended optical response and large reactive area of the ZnO/TiC composite promoted the formation of excitons and reactive sites on the photocatalyst's surface. The ZnO/TiC Schottky heterojunction showed significantly high photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production from a water-ethanol solution under the light illumination in the visible region. The hydrogen evolution overoptimized the ZnO/TiC composition with 30 wt.% of TiC, which was eight times higher than the pristine ZnO. These findings can be helpful in developing 0D/2D heterojunction systems for photocatalytic applications by utilizing TiC as a low-cost co-catalyst.