Developing visible light-responding photoelectrocatalysts
with
higher efficiency is highly demanded and broadly concerned in terms
of photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. Here, we report that
by constructing a TiO2/CuInS2 p–n junction
and further decorating it with plasmonic Cu nanoparticles, the synthesized
TiO2/CuInS2/Cu photoanodes show significantly
enhanced visible light absorption and higher photoelectrocatalysis
efficiency, benefiting from the joint influence of the built-in electric
field and surface plasmonic resonance (SPR). Under >420 nm light
irradiation,
the photocurrent density is 2.36 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), enhanced by about
10 times than that of pure TiO2. Furthermore, the hydrogen
production rate was enhanced from an undetectable level to 4.552 μmol/cm2/h. Our results exhibit that the strategy of a double-layer
co-catalyst has promising applications in water splitting and other
solar energy-conversion areas.