Construction of a BiVO/V-MoS S-scheme heterojunction for efficient photocatalytic nitrogen fixation.

Photocatalytic nitrogen (N) reduction to ammonia (NH), adopting HO as the electron source, suffers from low efficiency owing to the sluggish kinetics of N reduction and the requirement of a substantial thermodynamic driving force. Herein, we present a straightforward approach for the construction of an S-scheme heterojunction of BiVO/V-MoS to successfully achieve photocatalytic N fixation, which is manufactured by coupling an N-activation component (V-MoS nanosheet) and water-oxidation module (BiVO nanocrystal) through electrostatic self-assembly. The V-MoS nanosheet, enriched with sulfur vacancies, plays a pivotal role in facilitating N adsorption and activation. Additionally, the construction of the S-scheme heterojunction enhances the driving force for water oxidation and improves charge separation. Under simulated sunlight irradiation (100 mW cm), BiVO/V-MoS exhibits efficient photocatalytic N reduction activity with HO as the proton source, yielding NH at a rate of 132.8 μmol g h, nearly 7 times higher than that of pure V-MoS. This study serves as a noteworthy example of efficient N reduction to NH under mild conditions.