Constructing hierarchical cadmium sulfide via nitrogen-doped carbon dots-mediated interfacial engineering for enhanced hydrogen production

A synthetic strategy was developed to fabricate large surface-area, hierarchical structured and anti-photocorrosion CdS composite starting from CdCO3 with the assistance of nitrogen-doped carbon dots (NCDs). Initially, NCDs were coated over the CdCO3 surface. Once triggering the reaction, NCDs electrostatically enriched S2– ions and meticulously regulated the interface of the newly-formed CdS with CdCO3 to facilitate mass transfer. This led to entire conversion to the composite NCDs/CdS, where CdS exhibited a hierarchical nanoflake-layer-particle architecture. Various characterizations indicate that NCDs loaded on CdCO3 dynamically promoted the formation of cubic-phase CdS. The unique morphology enlarged the specific surface area to 62.1 m2 g–1. Of the synthesized samples, NCDs/CdS-60 achieved a hydrogen production rate as large as 2.27 mmol g–1 h–1, which is almost 11-fold higher than CdS prepared without adding NCDs. Notably, the component of NCDs suppressed the hole-induced photocorrosion of CdS during the photocatalytic reaction and extended the catalyst’s service life.