NiSe₂ Nanoparticles Grown in Situ on CdS Nanorods for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Abstract

The construction of heterojunction photocatalysts can accelerate the separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and thus improve the photocatalytic activity. Herein, novel NiSe2/CdS heterojunctions were successfully constructed using an in situ solvothermal method. The as-obtained NiSe2/CdS composites are composed of NiSe2 nanoparticles grown in situ on CdS nanorods. The resultant 5 wt % NiSe2/CdS sample exhibited good stability and a high photocatalytic H2-production rate of 167.1 mmol g–1 h–1, which is 2.7 times higher than that of bare CdS. The apparent quantum yield was 1.5% at 420 nm. The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be ascribed to effective charge separation and the charge fast transfer between CdS nanorods and NiSe2 nanoparticles. This work demonstrates that low-cost NiSe2 can act as a highly efficient cocatalyst for rational design of high-performance photocatalysts.