Hierarchical porous CdS nanosheet-assembled flowers with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic H2-production performance

• Published in: Applied catalysis. B, Environmental Environmental, 2013-07, Vol.138-139, p.299-303
• Main Authors: Xiang, Quanjun, Cheng, Bei, Yu, Jiaguo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Catalysis; Chemistry; Colloidal state and disperse state; Exact sciences and technology; General and physical chemistry; Hierarchical; Ion-exchange strategy; Photocatalytic H2-production activity; Photochemistry; Physical chemistry of induced reactions (with radiations, particles and ultrasonics); Porous CdS nanosheet; Porous materials; Theory of reactions, general kinetics. Catalysis. Nomenclature, chemical documentation, computer chemistry
• ISSN: 0926-3373; 1873-3883
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2013.03.005

Hierarchical porous CdS nanosheet-assembled flowers, synthesized by ion-exchange between Cd(OH)2 and Na2S, exhibited high visible-light photocatalytic H2 production performance. •Hierarchical porous CdS nanosheet-assembled flowers were synthesized by a simple ion-exchange strategy using morphology-analogous Cd(OH)2 and Na2S as precursors.•The prepared CdS flowers exhibited high visible-light photocatalytic H2 production activity and 24.7% quantum efficiency at 420nm.•The ion-exchange strategy of Cd(OH)2 intermediates can be extended to the preparation of other porous oxides and sulfides with hierarchical nanostructures.•The hierarchical organization of nanosheets and porous nanosheet structures can efficiently enhance light-absorption ability and provide a greater number of active adsorption sites. Hierarchical porous CdS nanosheet-assembled flowers were synthesized by a simple ion-exchange strategy using morphology-analogous Cd(OH)2 and Na2S as precursors. The prepared CdS flowers exhibited high visible-light photocatalytic H2-production activity with a rate of 468.7μmolh−1 and the corresponding apparent quantum efficiency (QE) of 24.7% at 420nm, which exceeded that obtained on CdS nanoparticles by more than 3 times. This enhanced photocatalytic H2-production activity was achieved because the hierarchical organization of nanosheets and porous nanosheet structures can efficiently enhance light-absorption ability and provide a greater number of active adsorption sites. This work shows a great potential of hierarchical porous CdS nanosheet-assembled flowers for photocatalytic H2 production, and also demonstrates that the ion-exchange strategy of Cd(OH)2 intermediates can be extended to the preparation of other porous oxides and sulfides with hierarchical nanostructures.