Cr–doped ZnS semiconductor catalyst with high catalytic activity for hydrogen production from hydrogen sulfide in non-thermal plasma

Abstract

Abstract A series of Al2O3 supported Cr-doped ZnS semiconductor catalysts with various Cr/Zn molar ratios were prepared by co-impregnation method, and investigated in non-thermal plasma induced H2S decomposition. The as-synthesized catalysts were characterized using XRD, N2 adsorption/desorption, UV-visible spectroscopy, TEM, Raman, ICP and XPS techniques. Cr-doped ZnS with different amount of Cr possessed the significantly enhanced catalytic performance, compared to undoped ZnS. Variations in catalytic activity are discussed in terms of modification on the chemical and physical properties of the Cr–doped ZnS catalysts. Among all the catalysts, the Cr0.20-ZnS catalyst showed the best catalytic behavior with full H2S conversion at lowest energy cost. Furthermore, the long-term study demonstrates that Cr–doped ZnS exhibits good stability in H2S decomposition.