Aminosilane Modified Clay Nanotubes as a Template for Visible Light Active Ru/CdS Photocatalysts

The aminosilane modified natural halloysite nanotubes were efficiently used as a template for ruthenium doped cadmium sulfide nanoparticles to prevent particles agglomeration and increase photocatalytic activity via better electron-hole pare separation. The photocatalysts were synthesized via a facile method and tested in H2 evolution reaction under visible light irradiation with 0.1 mol L−1 Na2S and 0.1 mol L−1 Na2SO3 as sacrificial agents. The as-prepared samples were characterized by transition electron microscopy, thermo-gravimetric analysis, photoluminescence spectrometry. The Ru–CdS nanoparticles synthesized on amino-modified halloysite nanotubes (Ru–CdS/Hall-APTES) had a high photocatalytic H2 evolution rate of 932.3 µmol h−1 g−1 and apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) about 7.2% under monochromic 450 nm light irradiation. The well-enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ru–CdS/Hall-APTES composite could be attributed to the effective transfer and separation of photogenerated charge carriers, which is facilitated by Ru as a co-catalyst to assist photocatalytic H2 evolution reaction. This work seems to provide an approach to prepare high-performance halloysite based nanocomposites towards different applications, like the as-studied photocatalytic production of hydrogen.