0D/2D S-scheme heterojunction of cadmium selenide and covalent triazine frameworks with enhanced photocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution, carbon dioxide reduction and terpene dehydrogenation

The step-scheme (S-scheme) heterojunction shows the merits of controlling the directional transfer of photogenerated charge carriers and realizing a strong redox potential for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and carbon dioxide reduction. In this paper, a zero/two-dimensional (0D/2D) S-scheme heterojunction composed of cadmium selenide quantum dots and covalent triazine frameworks (CdSe/CTF) is designed and fabricated by an electrostatic self-assembly approach. Compared with pristine CTF and CdSe quantum dots, the photocatalytic activities of CdSe/CTF composites for hydrogen evolution, carbon dioxide reduction and terpene oxidation are significantly enhanced. The hydrogen evolution rate of CdSe/CTF hybrid photocatalyst immobilized with platinum nanoparticles as cocatalyst reached 19.0 mmol g−1 h−1 under visible-light irradiation, and the apparent quantum yield is 9.8 % at 420 nm. The CdSe/CTF hybrid also exhibited more superior photocatalytic activity in carbon dioxide reduction with a carbon monoxide evolution rate of 1.48 mmol g−1 h−1, and presented higher photocatalytic reactivity in the selective oxidation of α-terpinene to p-cymene. The remarkable enhancement of photocatalytic performance for CdSe/CTF composite is mainly attributed to the facilitated separation and transfer of photoexcited charge carriers of 0D/2D S-scheme heterojunction. This work provides an in-depth insight of utilizing semiconducting polymers as a suitable platform to sustainably transform inexhaustive solar energy to storable chemical energy. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd