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

Dongsheng Dai, Lu Wang, Nan Xiao, Songsong Li, Hao Xu, Shuang Liu, Boran Xu, Lv Da, Yangqing Gao, Weiyu Song, Lei Ge, Jian Liu

Index: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2018.04.013

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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.