Rational Synthesis of Au–CdS Composite Photocatalysts for Broad-Spectrum Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Abstract

Incorporation of plasmonic metal nanomaterials can significantly enhance the visible light response of semiconductor photocatalysts via localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) mechanisms. However, the surfaces of plasmonic metal nanomaterials are often covered with surfactant molecules, which is undesired when the nanomaterials are used for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, since surfactant molecules could significantly compromise the nanomaterials' cocatalyst functionalities by blocking the active sites and/or by inhibiting the surface charge transfer process. Herein, we demonstrate a method that assembles Au nanoparticles (NPs) into Au colloidosomes (AuCSs) without modifying their surfaces with surfactants. The resulting AuCSs were then coupled with CdS for the formation of Au−CdS composite photocatalysts through an in situ deposition method. The assembly of Au NPs induced a broader and stronger LSPR response for AuCSs, while the absence of surfactants allowed them to act efficiently as cocatalysts. This essentially enhanced the electron−hole pair generation rate and further their utilization efficiency, leading to an extremely high hydrogen evolution rate of 235.8 mmol•g −1 •h −1 under simulated sunlight excitation.

Highly porous BiOBr@NU-1000 Z-scheme heterojunctions for synergistic efficient adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline

“…S2†). 44 Meanwhile, compared with NU-1000, the fluorescence intensity of BNU- X decreases, and the intensity of BNU-2 is the weakest (Fig. 4b).…”

Interfacial electric field construction of hollow PdS QDs/Zn1−xCdxS solid solution with enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

“…3c) showed two peaks with binding energy at 405.15 and 411.87 eV, which attributed to Cd 3d 3/2 and Cd 3d 5/2 individually. 37 And S 2p spectra (Fig. 3d) can be fitted to two peaks whose binding energy is 162.52 and 161.34 eV, which corresponded to S 2p 1/2 and S 2p 3/2 .…”

2D semiconductor nanosheets for solar photocatalysis

“…Under ideal conditions, water is decomposed into H 2 and O 2 without pollution, presenting a promising environmentally friendly solution to energy and environmental challenges 129 . H 2 , as a high‐energy‐density renewable source, has led researchers to continually develop and design advanced photocatalysts to boost H 2 yield, achieving many successes 113a,121c,130 . However, the water oxidation process faces challenges such as a higher reaction barrier and slow kinetics of photogenerated carriers compared to the proton reduction process.…”