A novel hollow flower-like 0D/3D Zn0.5Cd0.5S/NiCoZn-LDH photocatalyst with n-n heterojunction for high hydrogen production

Photocatalytic decomposition of water for hydrogen production is considered a promising solution to address the issues of energy crisis and environmental pollution. Herein, a kind of novel hollow flower-like 0D/3D Zn 0.5 Cd 0.5 S/NiCoZn-LDH with an n-n heterojunction is synthesized via precipitation and cation-exchange methods. Photocatalytic experiments reveal that the composite photocatalyst exhibits excellent performance compared with pure Zn 0.5 Cd 0.5 S. In other words, the composite photocatalyst shows enhanced response to visible light, three-fold increased transient photocurrent, and the hydrogen production rate reaching to 1100 μmol/h/g, approximately 7.3 times higher relative to pure Zn 0.5 Cd 0.5 S. The reaction mechanism is also elucidated. Zn 0.5 Cd 0.5 S/NiCoZn-LDH shows a type II n-n heterojunction, which can effectively transfer and separate the photo-generated electrons and holes, and is beneficial for the photocatalytic hydrogen production reaction. The synthesized composite photocatalyst is prepared using a simple method, enabling future large-scale production and applications.