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

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.