CdS Microparticles Decorated with Bi⁰/BiOI Nanosheets for Visible Light Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Abstract

Electronic transport performance and light absorption ability are the key factors affecting the photocatalytic activity. Herein, by regulating the reaction conditions, Bi0/BiOI(001)/CdS and Bi0/BiOI(010)(+)/CdS(−) were designed, and the latter showed a higher hydrogen evolution rate of 36 mmol h–1 g–1. The electrostatic force between the oppositely charged BiOI(010)(+) and CdS(−) favored the formation of a p–n heterojunction. The built-in electric field in BiOI(001) is perpendicular to the (001) facet, while it is parallel to the (010) facet in BiOI(010), thus forming an optimized electronic transmission pathway. UV–vis absorption showed that Bi0(010) and BiOI(010) have higher visible light absorbability. The Maxwell simulation showed that the surface plasmon resonance peaks of Bi0(001) and Bi0(010) are located at 314 and 508 nm, respectively. Therefore, both the electronic transport performance and the visible light absorbability of Bi0/BiOI(010)(+)/CdS(−) have been optimized.