Hollow Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>/CdS Nanoparticles for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution and Photodegradation
Weimian Yang, Qiying Peng, Yang Hu, Xinyan Li, Jun Cao, Jingjing Wang, Yingying Zheng, Chaorong Li, Jiaqi Pan
Abstract
Ultrathin hollow core–shell nano pn junction of Co 3 O 4 /CdS is fabricated by chemical-calcination method. The Co 3 O 4 /CdS nano pn junction (Co/Cd-3) exhibits prominently enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (∼6250.47 μmol·g –1 ·h –1 ) and photodegradation compared to those of Co 3 O 4 (∼90-fold/∼35-fold) and CdS (∼60-fold/∼30-fold). Co 3 O 4 /CdS nano pn junction with greater potential gradient and Co 3 O 4 with higher absorption can ameliorate the carrier efficiency, including transportation increasing, lifetime prolonging, and recombination decreasing. In addition, formed ultrathin hollow nanostructure can increase photocatalytic active sites and light reflections and shorten carrier pathway, while still maintaining good stability.