Templated Synthesis of Ultrathin Indium-Based Ternary Metal Sulfide (MIn₂S₄, M = Zn, Cd, and Ni) Nanoplates for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Ternary metal sulfide emerged as an important semiconductor for optoelectronic and photocatalytic applications. However, controlled synthesis of ultrathin ternary metal sulfide nanoplates is still difficult due to the lack of strategies to fulfill the anisotropic growth. Here, we report a wet-chemistry method for the preparation of ultrathin indium-based ternary metal sulfide (MIn2S4, M = Zn, Cd, and Ni) nanoplates with thickness within 2 nm, in which the as-grown β-In2S3 nanoplates are used as templates. As a proof of concept, the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution of ZnIn2S4 nanoplates is performed, which shows a remarkable photocatalytic performance under the irradiation of simulated sunlight. After loading of Ni nanoparticles as cocatalysts, it is found that the 3.0 wt % Ni/ZnIn2S4 photocatalysts exhibit the best performance for hydrogen generation with a rate of 19.9 mmol·g–1·h–1, which is 6 times larger than that of ZnIn2S4 nanoplates. The present work provides a method for the development of high-quality ultrathin multinary sulfide nanoplates.