Structural and morphological modulations
play a crucial
role in
increasing the surface active sites of semiconductor photocatalysts
for visible-light-driven water splitting. To fabricate a novel CdS/Ni3S4/Ni2P@C heterostructure, we first
prepared carbon-encapsulated Ni3S4/Ni2P (Ni3S4/Ni2P@C) with a high surface
area by sequential carbonization and phosphorization of a Ni-metal–organic
framework (MOF) precursor. Combined characterization and photoelectrochemical
measurement results reveal that the assembly of CdS nanowires and
highly porous Ni3S4/Ni2P@C can enhance
the visible-light response capability of the CdS/Ni3S4/Ni2P@C heterostructure catalyst by reducing the
forbidden band gap of CdS. The hydrogen production rate of 21.56 mmol
h–1 g–1 for CdS/Ni3S4/Ni2P@C with a Ni3S4/Ni2P@C mass fraction of 10 wt % was 26 times higher than
that of CdS in a photolytic aquatic hydrogen system. A possible mechanism
for the photocatalytic enhancement of the Ni3S4/Ni2P@C co-catalyst was systematically investigated and
discussed. This research opens a new strategy for constructing ternary
heterojunction photocatalysts via MOF precursors.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.