Highly efficient and selective photocatalytic dehydrogenation of benzyl alcohol for simultaneous hydrogen and benzaldehyde production over Ni-decorated Zn0.5Cd0.5S solid solution

Photocatalytic conversion of solar energy into hydrogen and high value-added fine chemicals has attracted increasing attention. Herein, we demonstrate an efficient photocatalytic system for simultaneous hydrogen evolution and benzaldehyde production by dehydrogenation of benzyl alcohol over Nidecorated ZnCdS solid solution under visible light. The photocatalytic system shows an excellent hydrogen production rate of 666.3 μmol hwith high stability. The optimal apparent quantum yield of52.5% is obtained at 420 nm. This noble-metal-free photocatalytic system displays much higher activity than pure ZnCdS and Pt-loaded ZnCdS solid solution. Further studies reveal that the metallic Ni nanocrystals play an important role in accelerating the separation of photogenerated charge carriers and the subsequent cleavage of α-C–H bond during dehydrogenation of benzyl alcohol.