Highly efficient splitting of benzyl alcohol for the production of hydrogen and benzaldehyde using synergistic CuNi/CdS photocatalysts

Abstract

The production of hydrogen and benzaldehyde (BAD) by splitting benzyl alcohol (BA) through photocatalysts is one of the common methods of converting solar energy to chemical energy. Herein, a photocatalyst to achieve high efficiency in hydrogen production was fabricated by loading Cu-Ni bi-metal on the CdS nanorods as a carrier. The 20% Cu1Ni1/CdS composite catalyst was used for simultaneous photocatalyze H2 production and BA oxidation to BAD under light with activities of 14.517 and 13.220 mmol g-1h−1, respectively, which is 8.7 times and 7.9 times higher than that of pure CdS. The high production efficiency can be mainly attributed to the synergistic effect of Cu-Ni bi-metal and the close contact between Cu-Ni and CdS interfaces. These microstructures enhance light absorption, effectively promote charge separation, and reduce the complexation of photogenerated electrons and holes. This work provides new ideas for the design of a cost-effective catalyst.