Three-Dimensional Core–Shell Nanorod Arrays for Efficient Visible-Light Photocatalytic H₂ Production

Abstract

Constructing heterostructured nanomaterials with integrating different functional materials into well-oriented nanoarchitectures is an efficacious tactic to obtain high-performance photocatalysts. In this paper, we fabricated three-dimensional ZnO-WS₂@CdS core-shell nanorod arrays as visible-light-driven photocatalysts for efficient photocatalytic H₂ production. This unique core-shell heterostructure extends visible-light absorption and provides more active sites. More importantly, the ZnO-WS₂@CdS nanorod arrays build a beneficial energy level configuration and spatial structure to accelerate the generation, separation, and transfer of the photogenerated electron-hole. On the basis of the synergistic effects, the photocatalytic H₂ rate of optimized ZnO-WS₂@CdS nanorod arrays achieves 15.12 mmol h^-1 g^-1 in visible light irradiation, which is 39, 9, and 8 times higher than pure CdS, ZnO-CdS, and CdS-WS₂ photocatalysts. The apparent quantum yield is up to 14.92% at 420 nm. Moreover, the core-shell heterostructure photocatalyst can recycle and maintain stability.