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

作者：Taiyu Huang, Zimo Huang, Xixian Yang, Siyuan Yang, Qiongzhi Gao, Xin Cai, Yingju Liu, Yueping Fang, Shanqing Zhang, Shengsen Zhang · 发表于：Advanced Powder Materials · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1016/j.apmate.2024.100242 · 被引用次数：32 · 研究领域：Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques、MXene and MAX Phase Materials、Machine Learning in Materials Science

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. In this work, a novel utilization mechanism of thiourea molecules is pre...