Three-Dimensional Spiny Spherical Znxcd1-Xs with Visible-Light Photocatalytic H2 Evolutionjiangli Liu, Xiaowei Wang, Yushen Zhang, Hua Zhao*, Lei Shi

Abstract

A novel three-dimensional spiny spherical ZnxCd1-xS were synthesized by a simple template-free hydrothermal process using cadmium chloride, zinc acetate, and thiourea as the precursors. Their hydrogen production properties were investigated. It was found that the highest photocatalytic H2 production performance was achieved when the molar ratio of Zn and Cd was 6:4. Compared with CdS, its H2 production rate was increased by a factor of about 14 times. And it could show sustained hydrogen production capacity, and structural and morphological stability. Obviously, due to its simple synthesis, inexpensive cost and controllable morphology, the prepared three-dimensional spiny spherical ZnxCd1-xS nanostructures have very promising applications in photocatalysis field.

Keywords: Spiny spherical ZnxCd1-xS, Visible light, photocatalysis, Hydrogen evolution