Defect engineering is a highly effective strategy for accelerating charge transfer and enhancing the performance of photocatalysts. In this study, ZnIn₂S₄ nanosheets were designed and prepared with controlled Zn vacancies to optimize the electronic band structure and localized charge density of ZnIn₂S₄. EPR results confirmed the formation of Zn vacancies. This modification enabled efficient capture of photoexcited charges in defect centers, thereby prolonging the carrier’s lifetime. Theoretical calculations demonstrated that these vacancies induced the formation of new defect states and highly efficient surface reaction sites. As anticipated, under visible light irradiation, the photocatalytic tetracycline removal rate of the ZnIn₂S₄ nanosheets with Zn vacancies reached 82.8% within 60 min, significantly higher than that observed for the pristine ZnIn₂S₄ sample. These findings offer valuable insights into the deliberate construction of metal-vacancy-containing photocatalytic nanomaterials for the enhanced degradation of micropollutants.

中文翻译：

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具有锌空位的工程 ZnIn2S4 纳米片：释放四环素的增强光催化降解


缺陷工程是加速电荷转移和提高光催化剂性能的一种非常有效的策略。在这项研究中，设计并制备了具有受控 Zn 空位的 ZnIn₂S₄ 纳米片，以优化 ZnIn₂S₄ 的电子能带结构和局部电荷密度。EPR 结果证实了 Zn 空缺的形成。这种修改能够有效地捕获缺陷中心的光激发电荷，从而延长载流子的使用寿命。理论计算表明，这些空位诱导了新缺陷态和高效表面反应位点的形成。正如预期的那样，在可见光照射下，具有 Zn 空位的 ZnIn₂S₄ 纳米片的光催化四环素去除率在 60 分钟内达到 82.8%，显著高于观察到的原始 ZnIn₂S₄ 样品。这些发现为有意识构建含有金属空位的光催化纳米材料以增强微污染物的降解提供了有价值的见解。