Formation of p-n Heterojunctions by Incorporation of Mn²⁺ into the CdS Lattice toward Highly Efficient Photocatalytic H₂ Evolution

Abstract

The synthesis of Cd1–x Mn x S solid solutions (x = 0.0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0) has been achieved through a facile hydrothermal route. Because of the limited mutual solubility between CdS and γ-MnS, the incorporation of Mn2+ into CdS lattice simultaneously produced CdS-hosted Cd1–x Mn x S and γ-MnS-hosted Cd1–x Mn x S phases during the hydrothermal synthesis of Cd1–x Mn x S solid solutions, especially at x = 0.5. The Cd1–x Mn x S solid solutions with the coexisting dual phases exhibit remarkably higher photocatalytic H2 evolution from water splitting than pristine CdS. The influences of the incorporation of Mn2+ into the CdS lattice on the phase structure and compositions, morphologies, BET surface area, band structures, semiconductor characteristics, photoinduced charge separation, and resulting H2 evolution were investigated in detail. It was well revealed that the coexistence of CdS-hosted Cd1–x Mn x S and γ-MnS-hosted Cd1–x Mn x S phases in the solid solutions constructs the p-n heterojunctions with an appropriate band alignment, which effectively facilitates the transfer and separation of the photogenerated charges for the highly efficient H2 evolution. Moreover, the charge separation and photocatalytic H2 evolution over the Cd1–x Mn x S solid solutions can be further improved by the deposition of Ni(OH)2 as a cocatalyst.

Stable Broadband Bright Green Emission of Self‐trapped Excitons Triggered by Sb3+ Doping in Zero‐Dimensional Cs3BiCl6

“…It demonstrates a limiting value for the Sb 3 + content in Cs 3 BiCl 6 , which may be connected to the impact of lattice solubility. [9] As shown in Figure 2a, the position of the PXRD diffraction peak gradually shifts to the right as the Sb 3 + /Bi 3 + ratio increases. This is primarily due to the lattice contraction that results when the tiny ion radius of Sb 3 + (0.76 Å) replaces the high ion radius of Bi 3 + (1.03 Å).…”

“…According to the outcomes of Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP‐AES) (Table S2, ESI), as the Sb 3+ /Bi 3+ ratio rises, Sb 3+ is unable to entirely incorporate into the lattice. It demonstrates a limiting value for the Sb 3+ content in Cs 3 BiCl 6 , which may be connected to the impact of lattice solubility [9] . As shown in Figure 2a, the position of the PXRD diffraction peak gradually shifts to the right as the Sb 3+ /Bi 3+ ratio increases.…”

One-Dimensional Tubular Carbon Nitride Embedded in Ni2P for Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of H2 Evolution

“…Hydrogen is an environmentally friendly, high-value green fuel, and the use of solar energy for the photocatalytic decomposition of water for hydrogen evolution has great potential [3]. In the past few decades, a wide variety of semiconductor catalysts have been applied to the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, including CdS [4,5], MOFs [6,7], TiO 2 [8][9][10], ZnO [11], and Mxenes [12], etc. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ), as a nonmetallic semiconductor material, is considered a promising catalyst for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reactions due to its simple preparation, low cost and suitable energy band structure (2.7 eV).…”

Visible Light Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Paired with Excellent Intramolecular Coupling of Dithiols into Sulfurous Heterocyclic Compounds over CdS/P25/Ni2P

“…Hydrogen is deemed to be an ideal energy carrier owing to its green, abundant, and high calorific value characteristics, which is hoped to address the energy shortage and environmental pollution all around the world. − For the past few years, the applications of hydrogen have been extended to agriculture, medical treatment, and aerospace fields. − Nevertheless, a huge challenge for carrying out further widespread processing and utilization of hydrogen is how to generate it cleanly and efficiently . Photocatalysis technology harvest and convert solar energy, relying on photocatalyst under mild reaction conditions, which is identified as an ideal approach to produce H 2 . − However, the conventional photocatalytic hydrogen production technologies generally require sacrifices to reduce the energy barrier of oxidation half-reaction for increasing hydrogen evolution rate, − resulting in the waste of photogenerated holes, generation of useless byproducts, and decline of whole economic efficiency. As a consequence, it is significant to explore an attractive alternative.…”