biostudies-literatureGao ZNatural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation)Taishan Scholar Foundation of Shandong ProvinceNational Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China)8889https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12504443biostudies-literatureUnknown16(1)Solar-driven H₂O₂ production provides an eco-friendly and scalable alternative to conventional anthraquinone processes. However, its efficiency has been limited by the inefficient charge separation and poor selectivity for the two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e^- ORR). Here we report a Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst constructed by in-situ growth of sulfur-deficient ZnIn₂S₄ nanosheets onto UiO-66-NH₂ (a zirconium-based metal-organic framework). This heterojunction promotes efficient charge separation while retaining strong redox capability, and sulfur vacancies regulate O₂ adsorption into a configuration that suppresses O-O bond cleavage and favors 2e^- ORR. As a result, the composite achievNature communicationsDefect-modulated oxygen adsorption and Z-scheme charge transfer for highly selective H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> photosynthesis in pure water.PMC125044432022HWYQ-015; ZR2023JQ007tsqn20221103922206113; 22376124; 572222Yin YZuo ZLu XHu ZLiu RZhang QChen ZSong QZhang XGao ZCai YZhong JLiu FCullen PJfalseDefect-modulated oxygen adsorption and Z-scheme charge transfer for highly selective H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> photosynthesis in pure water.Solar-driven H₂O₂ production provides an eco-friendly and scalable alternative to conventional anthraquinone processes. However, its efficiency has been limited by the inefficient charge separation and poor selectivity for the two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e^- ORR). Here we report a Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst constructed by in-situ growth of sulfur-deficient ZnIn₂S₄ nanosheets onto UiO-66-NH₂ (a zirconium-based metal-organic framework). This heterojunction promotes efficient charge separation while retaining strong redox capability, and sulfur vacancies regulate O₂ adsorption into a configuration that suppresses O-O bond cleavage and favors 2e^- ORR. As a result, the composite achiev2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Oct2026-06-04T06:24:22.702Z2026-05-06T03:13:26.02ZS-EPMC125044434105737510.1038/s41467-025-64166-8