A Novel 3D Yolk–Double-Shell Au@CdS/g-C₃N₄ Nanostructure with Enhanced Photoelectrochemical and Photocatalytic Properties

Abstract

Photocatalytic technology exhibits great potential in environmental governance and solar energy conversion. However, it is difficult for a single material to achieve such a satisfying practical photocatalytic effect. CdS is an outstanding semiconductor, but the actual photocatalytic application of CdS has been severely constrained due to its poor optical stability and high carrier recombination rate. Considering these above, a ternary yolk–double-shell nanostructure Au@CdS/g-C3N4 based on heterojunction and noble metal doping, which is a composite photocatalyst, was designed and fabricated. The experimental results and mechanism analysis show that the composite photocatalyst has great stability because the heterojunction formed by combining CdS and g-C3N4 can cause the separation of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs, and the existence of noble metal cores greatly expands the visible light range of photocatalysts. Furthermore, the unique yolk–double-shell nanostructure can provide additional active sites, which is conductive to the improvement of photocatalytic performance. Moreover, this synthesis strategy has implications for the design of other highly efficient nanocatalysts with complex multifunctional structures.