A novel hollow flower-like 0D/3D Zn0.5Cd0.5S/NiCoZn-LDH photocatalyst with n-n heterojunction for high hydrogen production

Photocatalytic decomposition of water for hydrogen production is considered a promising solution to address the issues of energy crisis and environmental pollution. Herein, a kind of novel hollow flower-like 0D/3D Zn0.5Cd0.5S/NiCoZn-LDH with an n-n heterojunction is synthesized via precipitation and cation-exchange methods. Photocatalytic experiments reveal that the composite photocatalyst exhibits excellent performance compared with pure Zn0.5Cd0.5S. In other words, the composite photocatalyst shows enhanced response to visible light, three-fold increased transient photocurrent, and the hydrogen production rate reaching to 1100 mu mol/h/g, approximately 7.3 times higher relative to pure Zn0.5Cd0.5S. The reaction mechanism is also elucidated. Zn0.5Cd0.5S/NiCoZn-LDH shows a type II n-n heterojunction, which can effectively transfer and separate the photo-generated electrons and holes, and is beneficial for the photocatalytic hydrogen production reaction. The synthesized composite photocatalyst is prepared using a simple method, enabling future large-scale production and applications.

Automated summary

A novel hollow flower-like 0D/3D Zn0.5Cd0.5S/NiCoZn-LDH photocatalyst with an n-n heterojunction was synthesized using precipitation and cation-exchange methods. The composite photocatalyst exhibited enhanced response to visible light and significantly improved hydrogen production rate compared to pure Zn0.5Cd0.5S, showing great potential for large-scale production and applications.