Abstract
Formic acid is an appealing hydrogen storage material. In order to rapidly produce hydrogen from formic acid under relatively mild conditions, high-efficiency and stable photocatalytic systems are of great significance to prompt hydrogen (H2) evolution from formic acid. In this paper, an efficient and stable photocatalytic system (CdS/P/MoS2) for H2 production from formic acid is successfully constructed by elemental P doping of CdS nanorods combining with in situ photodeposition of MoS2. In this system, P doping reduces the band gap of CdS for enhanced light absorption, as well as promoting the separation of photogenerated charge carriers. More importantly, MoS2 nanoparticles decorated on P-doped CdS nanorods can play as noble-metal-free cocatalysts, which increase the light adsorption, facilitate the charge transfer and effectively accelerate the hydrogen evolution reaction. Consequently, the apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of the designed CdS/P/MoS2 is up to 6.39% at 420 nm, while the H2 evolution rate is boosted to 68.89 mmol·g−1·h−1, which is 10 times higher than that of pristine CdS. This study could provide an alternative strategy for the development of competitive CdS-based photocatalysts as well as noble-metal-free photocatalytic systems toward efficient hydrogen production.
Highlights
With the rapid development of modern industry and inexhaustible energy consumption, hydrogen energy has attracted tremendous attention as a clean and efficient energy source
The photocatalytic H2 evolution from formic acid by directly using clean solar energy has intrigued widespread attention [6], in terms of the advantages of being eco-friendly and the abundance of solar energy, and the fact that relatively mild conditions and pollution-free products are involved in the photocatalytic process
PH3 gas can react with CdS nanorods to generate CdS/P
Summary
With the rapid development of modern industry and inexhaustible energy consumption, hydrogen energy has attracted tremendous attention as a clean and efficient energy source. In order to extract hydrogen from formic acid for better utilization, traditional methods have adopted gold [3], silver [4], palladium [5] and other precious metals as catalysts to degrade formic acid to produce hydrogen under high temperature conditions. Such expensive catalysts and harsh reaction conditions limit the further development and application of formic acid in hydrogen storage. The photocatalytic H2 evolution from formic acid by directly using clean solar energy has intrigued widespread attention [6], in terms of the advantages of being eco-friendly and the abundance of solar energy, and the fact that relatively mild conditions and pollution-free products are involved in the photocatalytic process
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
