Green and regulable synthesis of CdNCN on CdS semiconductor: Atomic-level heterostructures for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

In the realm of photoenergy conversion, the scarcity of efficient light-driven semiconductors poses a significant obstacle to the advancement of photocatalysis, highlighting the critical need for researchers to explore novel semiconductor materials. Herein, we present the inaugural synthesis of a no...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Taiyu Huang, Zimo Huang, Xixian Yang, Siyuan Yang, Qiongzhi Gao, Xin Cai, Yingju Liu, Yueping Fang, Shanqing Zhang, Shengsen Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. 2024-12-01
Series:Advanced Powder Materials
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772834X24000733
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In the realm of photoenergy conversion, the scarcity of efficient light-driven semiconductors poses a significant obstacle to the advancement of photocatalysis, highlighting the critical need for researchers to explore novel semiconductor materials. Herein, we present the inaugural synthesis of a novel semiconductor, CdNCN, under mild conditions, while shedding light on its formation mechanism. By effectively harnessing the [NCN]2⁻ moiety in the thiourea process, we successfully achieve the one-pot synthesis of CdNCN-CdS heterostructure photocatalysts. Notably, the optimal CdNCN-CdS sample demonstrates a hydrogen evolution rate of 14.7 ​mmol ​g−1 ​h−1 under visible light irradiation, establishing itself as the most efficient catalyst among all reported CdS-based composites without any cocatalysts. This outstanding hydrogen evolution performance of CdNCN-CdS primarily arises from two key factors: i) the establishment of an atomic-level N-Cd-S heterostructure at the interface between CdNCN and CdS, which facilitating highly efficient electron transfer; ii) the directed transfer of electrons to the (110) crystal plane of CdNCN, promoting optimal hydrogen adsorption and active participation in the hydrogen evolution reaction. This study provides a new method for synthesizing CdNCN materials and offers insights into the design and preparation of innovative atomic-level composite semiconductor photocatalysts.
ISSN:2772-834X