Highly efficient and noble metal-free NiS/CdS photocatalysts for H2 evolution from lactic acid sacrificial solution under visible light

Abstract

We report the synthesis of highly active NiS/CdS photocatalysts via a simple hydrothermal loading method for H(2) evolution from lactic acid sacrificial solution under visible light. In the absence of noble metals, a high quantum efficiency of 51.3% was measured at 420 nm.

Twin-induced one-dimensional homojunctions yield high quantum efficiency for solar hydrogen generation

“…It is noteworthy that the highest QE reported so far for photocatalytic hydrogen production without noble metal loading is 51% (ref. 16). While our photocatalyst reaches 62%.…”

“…Therefore, at the most basic level, enhancing charge separation and preventing their recombination before they move to the surface-reactive sites of the photocatalyst have key roles in determining the solar energy conversion efficiency. To this end, many strategies have been investigated, including in situ photodeposition of noble metal as cocatalysts onto photocatalyst surface, chemical doping to form donor or acceptor energy levels within the band gap of the photocatalyst, and development of Z-scheme systems [16][17][18][19][20] . Among these approaches, coupling of two different materials or phases at the nanoscale to form heterojunctions has proven successful, owing to improved interfacial charge transfer and therefore effective charge separation [20][21][22][23] .…”

Enhanced Visible‐Light Photocatalytic H2 Production by ZnxCd1−xS Modified with Earth‐Abundant Nickel‐Based Cocatalysts

“…[11,[20][21][22][23] In recent years, co-catalysts composed of earth-abundant elements have been explored aggressively to replace Pt as the extreme scarcity and high price of Pt restricts the massive application of photocatalysts such as Zn x Cd 1Àx S for large-scale solar H 2 production. [24] Especially, materials based on Ni, such as Ni, [25,26] NiS, [27,28] NiO, [26,[29][30][31] and Ni(OH) 2 , [5,32,33] are among the most active co-catalysts loaded on various semiconductor photocatalysts to achieve highly efficient and cost-effective photocatalytic H 2 production. For example, Dinh et al reported that the presence of Ni clusters as a co-catalyst could enhance the photocatalytic H 2 -production rate of a CdS-titanate nanocomposite by more than 77 times.…”

Synthesis and Growth Mechanism of White‐Fungus‐Like Nickel Sulfide Microspheres, and Their Application in Polymer Composites with Enhanced Microwave‐Absorption Properties

“…[14] In addition, nickel sulfides can form various phases, [15] such as NiS, Ni 3 + x S 2 , Ni 3 S 2 , Ni 7 S 6 , Ni 3 S 4 , and NiS 2 , and have multiple applications, including as photocatalysts for H 2 evolution, [16] possible transformation toughener, [17] cathode materials for rechargeable lithium batteries, [18] or as a highboiling solvent for all-solid-state lithium secondary batteries. [19] Furthermore, Du's group introduced the application of iron/ nickel sulfide filled carbon nanotubes and their microwave-absorbing properties, [20] with a maximum reflection loss of À29.58 dB.…”