Bi(2) Te(3) /Bi(2) Se(3) /Bi(2) S(3) Cascade Heterostructure for Fast-Response and High-Photoresponsivity Photodetector and High-Efficiency Water Splitting with a Small Bias Voltage.

Large-scale multi-heterostructure and optimal band alignment are significantly challenging but vital for photoelectrochemical (PEC)-type photodetector and water splitting. Herein, the centimeter-scale bismuth chalcogenides-based cascade heterostructure is successfully synthesized by a sequential vapor phase deposition method. The multi-staggered band alignment of Bi Te /Bi Se /Bi S is optimized and verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The PEC photodetectors based on these cascade heterostructures demonstrate the highest photoresponsivity (103 mA W at -0.1 V and 3.5 mAW at 0 V under 475 nm light excitation) among the previous reports based on two-dimensional materials and related heterostructures. Furthermore, the photodetectors display a fast response (≈8 ms), a high detectivity (8.96 × 10 Jones), a high external quantum efficiency (26.17%), and a high incident photon-to-current efficiency (27.04%) at 475 nm. Due to the rapid charge transport and efficient light absorption, the Bi Te /Bi Se /Bi S cascade heterostructure demonstrates a highly efficient hydrogen production rate (≈0.416 mmol cm h and ≈14.320 µmol cm h with or without sacrificial agent, respectively), which is far superior to those of pure bismuth chalcogenides and its type-II heterostructures. The large-scale cascade heterostructure offers an innovative method to improve the performance of optoelectronic devices in the future.