In-situ synthesis of Ni2P co-catalyst decorated Zn0.5Cd0.5S nanorods for high-quantum-yield photocatalytic hydrogen production under visible light irradiation

By Dongsheng Dai, Lu Wang, Nan Xiao, Songsong Li, Hao Xu, Shuang Liu, Boran Xu, Da Lv, Yangqin Gao, Weiyu Song and 2 more. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2018

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Abstract Efficient noble-metal-free semiconductor composite photocatalysts are highly desirable for visible light driven water splitting. In this study, Ni2P was successfully decorated on Zn0.5Cd0.5S as a highly efficient co-catalyst via a hydrothermal method. The chemical as well as photophysical properties of the as-obtained Ni2P/Zn0.5Cd0.5S samples were characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Transmission electron microscope (TEM), UV–vis diffusion reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved fluorescence. The Ni2P/ Zn0.5Cd0.5S composite sample with 4% molar content of Ni2P showed the highest photocatalytic H2 evolution activity with a corresponding H2 evolution rate of 1173 μmol h−1, which was about 13 times higher than that of pure Zn0.5Cd0.5S sample under visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic activity of the Ni2P/Zn0.5Cd0.5S composite sample was stable even after 4 cycling photocatalytic experiments. A possible mechanism on the photocatalytic enhancement of the Ni2P/Zn0.5Cd0.5S composite sample was systematically investigated, which can provide a novel concept for the synthesis of other desirable semiconductor materials with high photocatalytic performance.

Subfields: Materials Chemistry, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/78306340fe061cc77e26e813e93245f409b18bf9