S doped Ta2O5 Decorated CdS Nanosphere via Interfacial Diffusion for Enhanced and Stable Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

Abstract Photocatalytic H2 generation is considered to be one of the most promising technologies for H2 production. Herein, S doped Ta2O5 decorated CdS nanosphere (S-Ta2O5/CdS) is synthesized through the interfacial diffusion reaction between sublimation of cadmium sulfide and crystallization shrinkage of tantalum oxide, which was regulated by high-temperature calcination. The successful S doping causes the changes of energy band structure of Ta2O5, which can be used as co-catalyst with suitable hydrogen potential to enhance the photocatalytic activity of CdS nanosphere. The obtained S-Ta2O5/CdS possesses the photocatalytic hydrogen generation rate of 54.51 μmol·mg-1·h-1 with improved photocatalytic stability under visible light irradiation, which is better than those of CdS (1.51 μmol·mg-1·h-1) and Ta2O5 (0 μmol·mg-1·h-1). The work offers a new perspective that S-Ta2O5 as co-catalyst improves the separation efficiency of photogenerated electron-hole for the visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen production.