Fabrication of CdS-Ag3PO4 heteronanostructures for improved visible photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Solar-driven photocatalytic water splitting is an ideal solution for clean and renewable fuels. The development of sustainable, low-cost, and efficient visible-light photocatalyst continues to be a serious challenge in this field. In this article, CdSAg3PO4 heteronanostructures (HNSs) were fabricated for the first time by a solvothermal and subsequent simple chemical reaction method. The as synthesized heterostructured photocatalysts were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UVevisible spectroscopy. Their photocatalytic hydrogen production rate was evaluated by using an aqueous solution containing 10% methanol under visible light (lambda > 420 nm). The resultant CdS-Ag3PO4 HNSs exhibit a higher photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate than that of CdS NWs under visible light irradiation. The apparent H-2 generation rate of CdS-Ag3PO4 HNSs is similar to 2 times higher than that of bare CdS nanowires (NWs). The results show that the specially formed heterojunctions between CdS NWs and Ag3PO4 NPs favor the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, which in turn produced the improved photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate. (C) 2017 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.