An efficient photocatalytic system under visible light: In-situ growth cocatalyst Ni2P on the surface of CdS

Abstract

Cocatalyst contributes to promote the separation and transfer of charge in photocatalytic system, which is an important factor to improve photocatalytic decomposition of water to produce hydrogen. Here, a simple and effective method to combine the main catalyst and the cocatalyst by a modified impregnation method is provided. A novel Ni2P/CdS is prepared by in-situ growth of Ni2P cocatalyst on the CdS surface using the modified impregnation method. The research shows that Ni2P, as an electron carrier, can promote the separation of electrons and holes, and significantly improve the photocatalytic activity of Ni2P/CdS. When Ni2P was 3% in Ni2P/CdS, the photocatalytic activity of hydrogen production was the highest, and the hydrogen production rate reached an astonishing 16.02 mmol h−1g−1 under visible light, which was 57 times that of CdS. Moreover, Ni2P/CdS photocatalyst has outstanding stability for hydrogen production. The mechanism of photocatalytic hydrogen production by Ni2P/CdS is proposed.