Rational design of 1D NiMoO4/0D CdS heterostructures for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen generation under visible light†
Abstract
Solar-driven hydrogen production via particulate photocatalysts is a sustainable and promising way for overcoming the current energy crisis. In this work, CdS nanoparticles were synthesized via the precipitation method and then decorated hydrothermally by NiMoO4 nanorods. The as-prepared CdS-NiMoO4 nanocomposite showed an initial hydrogen generation rate (HGR) of 130 μmol h−1 under the visible spectrum. This represents a 7-fold increase compared to that of pure CdS. Increasing the hydrothermal treatment temperature of the nanocomposite above 90 °C was found to have a negative impact on the H2 production efficiency. The prepared composite was subjected to various photoelectrochemical measurements for investigating the photoelectric properties and the proposed mechanism. The results revealed that CdS and NiMoO4 semiconductors have well-established band structures to form a type-II heterojunction. Thus, NiMoO4 works as an electron collector that captures the photogenerated electrons from CdS, thereby promoting the separation of e−/h+ pairs. The improvement in the catalytic performance could also be attributed to the increase in the active catalytic sites of CdS-NiMoO4 (SBET = 335.7 m2 g−1) compared with CdS (SBET = 225.5 m2 g−1). Overall, this work sheds light on using earth abundant NiMoO4 as an effective promoter in photocatalytic applications.
- This article is part of the themed collection: Sustainable Energy & Fuels Recent HOT Articles