Synthesis of Bi2S3nanorods supported on ZrO2semiconductor as an efficient photocatalyst for hydrogen production under UV and visible light

Abstract

BACKGROUND To overcome the drawback of low photocatalytic efficiency due to electron − hole recombination and narrow photoresponse range, a novel Bi2S3/ZrO2 composite photocatalyst was designed. The composite possesses wide photoabsorption up to 800 nm, which occupies mostly the UV and visible light region. Composites of Bi2S3/ZrO2 were synthesized using a solvothermal method. The photocatalytic production of hydrogen from methanol/water, under UV and visible light, was demonstrated. RESULTS A remarkable activity for hydrogen production was obtained for Bi2S3/ZrO2 composites under UV and visible light. The reported hydrogen production under UV light were 4440 µmol h−1 g−1 for 6 wt% Bi2S3/ZrO2 increasing by a factor of 6 the production obtained for the bare ZrO2 support. The hydrogen production under visible light was 1476 µmol h−1 g−1 for the same 6 wt. % Bi2S3 composite showing that this photocatalyst is active under both UV and visible light. CONCLUSION The the optimal content of 6 wt. % of Bi2S3/ZrO2 composite exhibited an enhanced performance under UV and visible light compared to bare ZrO2 and Bi2S3 semiconductors. This improvement is attributed to a reduced recombination of e−/h+, as indicated by photoluminescence (PL) study. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry