Incorporating Zn0.3Cd0.7S nanoparticles into CoMoO4 microflowers for photocatalytic H2 production by oxidizing p-chlorobenzyl alcohol

To optimize the performance of photocatalytic H-2 production, many effective methods have been developed, such as controlling morphology, designing synergetic reaction, and enhancing the utilization of photogenerated charge carriers (PCCs). In this work, an efficient CoMoO4/Zn0.3Cd0.7S (CMO/ZCS) photocatalyst with p-n heterojunction was constructed by incorporating Zn0.3Cd0.7S (ZCS) nanoparticles into CoMoO4 (CMO) microflowers. Although CMO had limited activity in H-2 production under visible light irradiation, it could largely boosting the H-2 production efficiency of ZCS nanoparticles by oxidizing p-chlorobenzyl alcohol (Cl-PhCH2OH) in organic solvent. In the CMO/ZCS composites, the best rates of H-2 and Cl-PhCHO reached 34.28 and 35.87 mmol g(-1) h(-1), respectively. The p-n heterojunction formed between CMO and ZCS may be the main enhanced reason of the excellent performance, as it could effectively improve the separation, transfer and utilization of PCCs. The design of the CMO/ZCS catalyst not only optimizes the migration and utilization of PCCs, but also provides crucial theoretical guidance and experimental insights for the development of highly efficient photocatalysts.