Enhanced Photocatalytic Nitrogen Reduction via Bismuth Nanoparticle-Decorating ZnCdS Solid Solution

Abstract

The construction of photocatalysts with a surface plasmon resonance effect (SPR) has been demonstrated as a highly effective strategy for enhancing photocatalytic efficiency. In this paper, we synthesized a catalyst with bismuth metal loaded on ZnCdS nanospheres for an efficient photocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (PNRR). The SPR effect induced by Bi nanoparticles under light excitation significantly promoted the ammonia production efficiency of the photocatalyst. Under air ambient conditions with lactic acid as the sacrificial agent, the photocatalytic NH 4 + yield of 3% Bi@ZnCdS was 58.93 μmol•g −1 • h −1 , which exhibited an approximately 7.7 times that of the pure phase ZnCdS. The experimental characterization results demonstrate that the incorporation of metallic bismuth enhances the light absorption capacity of the catalyst and improves the separation efficiency of the photogenerated carriers. Theoretical calculations proved that Bi NPs provide more photogenerated electrons to convert N 2 to NH 3 for solid-solution ZnCdS. This work presents a novel concept for the development of advanced plasma nanomaterials to enhance the photocatalytic nitrogen fixation reaction.