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Microwave-assisted synthesis of AuNPs/CdS composite nanorods for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

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Abstract

Photocatalytic hydrogen generation is of fundamental importance for the production of clean and sustainable energy. In this work, a facile in situ microwave-assisted synthesis strategy has been developed to synthesize AuNPs/CdS composite nanorods (NRs) for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. At 5 wt% of AuNPs, the AuNPs/CdS composite NRs exhibit a significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity for H2 evolution that is 26 times higher than pure CdS, and 2.1 times greater than that of 5 wt% AuNPs/CdS sample synthesized via a traditional hydrothermal method. Enhanced hydrogen evolution can be attributed to the strong synergistic interactions between the AuNPs and CdS NRs in the composite material, which provide efficient electron/hole transfer, improved photon absorption in visible region, and optimized charge carrier formation and photostability. This work can potentially pave a path toward rapid, microwave-assisted fabrication of high-performance metal/semiconductor composite photocatalysts for large-scale photocatalytic H2 production.

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Acknowledgements

This work is financially supported by Natural Science Foundation of China (21506095, 21801219), Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20150940), the “Qing-Lan” Project of Jiangsu Province, Top-notch Academic Programs Project of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (TAPP), and the start-up fund from Yangzhou University.

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  1. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yangzhou University, 180 Siwangting Road, Yangzhou, 225002, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China

    Yanqi Xu, Cui Du, Chen Zhou & Shengyang Yang

  2. School of Natural Sciences, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO, 64093, USA

    Jay D. Steinkruger & Chen Zhou

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  1. Yanqi Xu
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  2. Cui Du
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Xu, Y., Du, C., Steinkruger, J.D. et al. Microwave-assisted synthesis of AuNPs/CdS composite nanorods for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. J Mater Sci 54, 6930–6942 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-018-03294-7

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