The role of the capping agent and nanocrystal size in photoinduced hydrogen evolution using CdTe/CdS quantum dot sensitizers
Elisabetta Benazzi, Valerio C. Coni, Mattia Boni, Raffaello Mazzaro, Vittorio Morandi, Mirco Natali
Abstract
(where bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) as light-harvesting units. Furthermore, the hydrogen evolution performance under irradiation is strongly determined by the nature of the capping agent and the QD size and can be related to the concentration of the surface defects within the semiconducting nanocrystal. Overall, the present results outline how QDs featuring large quantum yields and long lifetimes are desirable to achieve sustained hydrogen evolution upon irradiation and that a precise control of the structural and photophysical properties thus appears as a major requirement towards profitable photocatalytic applications.
Topics & Concepts
NanocrystalQuantum dotCadmium telluride photovoltaicsMaterials scienceHydrogenNanotechnologyPhotochemistryOptoelectronicsChemistryOrganic chemistryAdvanced Photocatalysis TechniquesQuantum Dots Synthesis And PropertiesNanocluster Synthesis and Applications