CdS nanoparticles decorated hexagonal Fe2O3 nanosheets with a Z-scheme photogenerated electron transfer path for improved visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen production

[Display omitted] Photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production (H2) is one of the main potential applications of photocatalytic technology, which can use solar energy as the energy required for chemical reactions to alleviate the energy crisis. In this work, zero-dimensional/two-dimensional (0D/2D) contact surface CdS/α-Fe2O3 (CF) heterojunction photocatalyst was synthesized via a simple solvothermal method. Photocatalytic hydrogen production experiments revealed that the CF-15 sample shows the optimal photocatalytic H2 rate (1806 μmol∙h−1∙g−1) and apparent quantum efficiency (AQE = 13.7% at λ = 420 nm). The enhancement of photocatalytic performance is mainly attributed to the contact of 0D/2D interface and the synergistic effect of Z-scheme electron transfer mechanism. This work provides an effective way for modified composite semiconductor photocatalyst by constructing special interface heterojunction to achieve highly efficiently catalysis.