The high quality ultrathin CdS NSs are obtained through colloidal approach. Ensembles with discrete thicknesses of 1.50 nm, 1.80 nm, and 2.16 nm have been made. Corresponding Ni NP decorated NSs have been made through the photodeposition of Ni onto NS surfaces. The performance of CdS/Ni NSs was compared to that of their bare CdS NS counterparts in photocatalytic hydrogen generation reaction in water/ethanol mixtures. The resulted nanoheterostructures are highly efficient in photocatalytic hydrogen generation process with long time apparent quantum yields as large as 25% and as high as 64%, during the initial stages of H<sub>2</sub> generation. Ensemble TDA spectroscopy illustrates that the improved photocatalytic efficiency of CdS/Ni NSs stems from efficient electron transfer from CdS to Ni. This, in turn, suggests that the combination of several intrinsic features of 2D CdS NSs namely, their large absorption efficiencies, their strong exciton binding energies, and, more importantly, their long exciton lifetimes -all coupled with the presence of a metal/semiconductor heterojunction- results in efficient hydrogen generation.

Synthesis and photocatalytic properties of Ni decorated CdS nanosheet

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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