NiSe2 Nanoparticles Grown in Situ on CdS Nanorods for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

The construction of heterojunction photo catalysts can accelerate the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and thus improve the photocatalytic activity. Herein, novel NiSe2/CdS heterojunctions were successfully constructed using an in situ solvothermal method. The as-obtained NiSe2/CdS composites are composed of NiSe2 nanoparticles grown in situ on CdS nanorods. The resultant 5 wt % NiSe2/CdS sample exhibited good stability and a high photocatalytic H-2-production rate of 167.1 mmol g(-1) h(-1), which is 2.7 times higher than that of bare CdS. The apparent quantum yield was 1.5% at 420 nm. The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be ascribed to effective charge separation and the charge fast transfer between CdS nanorods and NiSe2 nanoparticles. This work demonstrates that low-cost NiSe2 can act as a highly efficient cocatalyst for rational design of high-performance photocatalysts.