Hybrid of g-C₃N₄ and MoS₂ Integrated onto Cd_0.5Zn_0.5S: Rational Design with Efficient Charge Transfer for Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity

Abstract

Rational design of hierarchical nanocomposites is a promising approach for efficient energy harvesting and conversion. A noble-metal-free ternary hierarchical composite, Cd0.5Zn0.5S-g-C3N4-MoS2, has been developed. Materials were chosen based on their relative band-edge alignments and they were studied as a composite for photocatalytic properties. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by measuring the rate of photodriven H2 evolution with concomitant degradation of organic pollutants, such as Rhodamine B. Optimization of the loading of g-C3N4 and MoS2 onto Cd0.5Zn0.5S results in an enhanced yield of hydrogen evolution by ∼120% (Cd0.5Zn0.5S-g-C3N4) and ∼197% (Cd0.5Zn0.5S-g-C3N4-MoS2) compared to bare Cd0.5Zn0.5S. The ternary hybrid, Cd0.5Zn0.5S-g-C3N4-MoS2 resulted in an apparent quantum yield (AQY) of 38% at 420 nm. The significant improvement in photocatalytic performance in the composite can be attributed to enhanced interfacial charge transfer of electrons from g-C3N4 to Cd0.5Zn0.5S and MoS2. We surmise that the close proximity of the energies of conduction band edge for each component in the ternary composite promotes better charge separation.

Enhance Solar‐Light‐Driven Photocatalytic Degradation of Norfloxacin Aqueous Solution by RGO‐Based CdxZn1‐xS Alloy Composite with Band‐Gap Tuneability

“…41–1049 and 36–1450) . In ternary Cd x Zn 1‐x S composites, peaks are shifted gradually to a larger incident angle, indicating the probability of formation of a homogenous alloy from the elemental composition . The absence of additional peaks in the diffraction patterns confirms phase singularity for Cd x Zn 1‐x S composites.…”

Visible‐Light‐Driven Self‐Coupling of Methylarenes Catalyzed by Ni2P@Cd0.5Zn0.5S Nanoparticles

“…In order to investigate the band structure of Cd 0.5 Zn 0.5 S and Ni 2 P@Cd 0.5 Zn 0.5 S–5 %, Mott–Schottky curves of the two materials were measured. As was shown in Figure , the positive slope of the Mott–Schottky curves indicated both of them belonged to n–type semiconductors . Flat‐band potentials of Cd 0.5 Zn 0.5 S and Ni 2 P@Cd 0.5 Zn 0.5 S–5 % were –0.32 and –0.28 V, respectively.…”

“…Recent reports have shown that loading of g‐C 3 N 4 and MoS 2 on Cd 0.5 Zn 0.5 S and using Na 2 S as electron donor resulted in enhanced quantum yields of hydrogen evolution reaction . The introduction of two semiconductors g‐C 3 N 4 and MoS 2 into Cd 0.5 Zn 0.5 S could be conductive to the separation of electron and holes, and promote the oxidation reaction of hole and reduction reaction of electron.…”

Simultaneous visible-light-induced hydrogen production enhancement and antibiotic wastewater degradation using MoS2@Zn Cd1-S: Solid-solution-assisted photocatalysis

“…The aim of a solid-solution strategy is to improve the redox ability of a pristine semiconductor and/or the capacity of the optical absorption, which can be favorable for the photocatalysis. Therefore, numerous photocatalysts with an outstanding performance, such as GaN:ZnO, BixY1-xVO4, ZnIn2S4, and ZnxCd1-xS, have been successfully designed by applying this strategy [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]. ZnxCd1-xS series materials have received significant interest for use in the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.…”