CdZnS nanorods with rich sulphur vacancies for highly efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production

Abstract

A 1D CdZnS nanorod solid solution with rich sulfur vacancies achieved excellent photocatalytic hydrogen production under visible irradiation.

Cd1–xZnxS Nanorod Solid Solutions with Sulfur Vacancies as Effective Electron Traps for Highly Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

“…0.31∼0.33 nm in four samples closely matches the interplanar distance for the crystallographic plane (002) of hexagonal wurtzite CdS. 22 No obvious lattice fringes corresponding to the crystallographic planes of hexagonal wurtzite ZnS are observed in the Cd 1−x Zn x S solid solution (x = 0.4) probably due to the trace amount of the solid solution with wurtzite ZnS as a host lattice. In the HRTEM (Figure 3d) image of Cd 1−x Zn x S solid solution (x = 0.6), the crystal lattice fringes with d-spacing measured to be ca.…”

“…In the HRTEM (Figure 3d) image of Cd 1−x Zn x S solid solution (x = 0.6), the crystal lattice fringes with d-spacing measured to be ca. 0.31 and 0.192 nm are close to the crystallographic planes of hexagonal wurtzite CdS (002) 22 and hexagonal wurtzite ZnS (220), 23 respectively, confirming the coexistence of two phases in the sample. These HRTEM observations are basically consistent with the above XRD measurements.…”

“…The formed heterojunction would improve the charge separation to enhance the photocatalytic H 2 evolution observed for the sample (x = 0.3 and 0.4). 16,22 When the hexagonal wurtzite phase with ZnS as a host lattice further increases (x = 0.6), its light absorption capacity in the visible light region is reduced (Figure 5a) due to the widening of its band gap toward that of pure ZnS, 28,29 leading to a decrease in the photocatalytic H 2 evolution.…”

“…Previous reports have showed that the appropriate introduction of vacancies into photocatalytic materials including TiO 2 with O vacancies and g-C 3 N 4 with N or C vacancies could significantly improve the photocatalytic activities. − Crystalline CdS exhibits n-type semiconductor characteristics because of its intrinsic S vacancies, while Cd 1– x Zn x S solid solution has been proven to be a stronger n-type semiconductor as compared to CdS . More recently, several studies have demonstrated that the presence of the surface defects such as S vacancies in the Cd 1– x Zn x S solid solution is beneficial for the photocatalytic H 2 evolution. , Nevertheless, the nature of physical chemistry for the role of the S vacancies in effectively capturing photogenerated electrons to promote the efficient separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs is still less understood. In the present work, a series of Cd 1– x Zn x S solid solutions with S vacancies was fabricated through a hydrothermal route.…”

Synergetic Piezo‐Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution on CdxZn1‐xS Solid‐Solution 1D Nanorods

“…Nevertheless, the instability during the photocatalytic reaction process caused by the "self-photocorrosion" phenomenon has always restricted the photocatalytic activity at the same time. [11][12][13][14][15][16][17] In addition to solar energy, the mechanical energy exists everywhere in our daily lives, such as water flow, wind, noise, etc. Inspired by the natural mechanical forces, researchers have proposed the notion of piezoelectric optoelectronic effect based on the cooperation of semiconductor, light excitation and piezoelectric characteristics.…”