Ultrafine CoO nanoparticles as an efficient cocatalyst for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Chu, Jiayu; Sun, Guoji; Han, Xijiang; Chen, Xin; Wang, Jiajun; Hu, Wen; Waluyo, Iradwikanari; Hunt, Adrian; Du, Yunchen; Song, Bo; Xu, Ping

doi:10.1039/C9NR05086H

Title: Ultrafine CoO nanoparticles as an efficient cocatalyst for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Journal Article · 05 August 2019 · Nanoscale

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/C9NR05086H · OSTI ID:1570663

Chu, Jiayu ^[1]; Sun, Guoji ^[2]; Han, Xijiang ^[1]; Chen, Xin ^[3];

^[1]; Hu, Wen ^[4];

^[4]; Hunt, Adrian ^[4];

^[1];

^[5];

^[1]

Harbin Inst. of Technology, Harbin (China). MIIT Key Lab. of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Harbin Inst. of Technology, Shenzhen (China). Shenzhen Graduate School, State Key Lab. of Advanced Welding and Joining
Peking Univ., Beijing (China). School of Advanced Materials
Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)
Harbin Inst. of Technology, Harbin (China). Academy of Fundamental and Interdisciplinary Sciences

In order to further enhance the performance of photocatalysts, cocatalysts are used to accelerate the photocatalytic reactions. Herein, ultrafine cobalt oxide (CoO) nanoparticles are synthesized through a novel bottom-up strategy and explored as an efficient non-noble cocatalyst to dramatically promote the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of CdS nanorods. CdS/CoO heterostructures, consisting of highly dispersed 3–5 nm CoO nanoparticles anchored on the CdS nanorods, can provide a high photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of 6.45 mmol g^-1 h^-1 (~36 times higher than that of bare CdS nanorods) in the visible-light region (>420 nm). Combined X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy analyses suggest Co–S bond formation between CoO and CdS, which guarantees efficient migration and separation of photogenerated charge carriers. This work provides a new avenue for adopting CoO as an effective cocatalyst for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production in the visible-light region.

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Research Organization:: Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0012704

OSTI ID:: 1570663

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1557019

Report Number(s):: BNL-212143-2019-JAAM; NANOHL

Journal Information:: Nanoscale, Vol. 11, Issue 33; ISSN 2040-3364

Publisher:: Royal Society of ChemistryCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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