Square CdS Micro/Nanosheets as Efficient Photo/Piezo-bi-Catalyst for Hydrogen Production

Cadmium sulfide (CdS) is a member of an important subgroup of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides that can promote a number of useful oxidation reactions under visible light and ultrasonic vibrations. Herein, we report a low-cost hydrothermal method assisted by DL-dithiothreitol for controlling the thickness of CdS nanosheets. In particular, square-like CdS nanosheets with a thickness of 28 nm were acquired at a molar ratio of 2:1 of DL-dithiothreitol to a cadmium source. Furthermore, a significant connection was observed between CdS nanosheet thickness and photocatalytic H-2 evolution. Thin square nanosheets exhibited high photocatalytic activity under the combination of light and vibrational energy. These nanosheets can be assigned to active sites due to an increase in surface area and can induce a piezoelectric field in CdS via ultrasound. Thickness differences exert a critical synergy effect on photo/piezo-bi-catalyst performance. The thinnest product achieved the maximum photocatalytic H-2 production yield (1293.62 mu mol g(-1) h(-1)), which is approximately 4.2 times that of the 0-CdS micro-sheets (284.26 mu mol g(-1) h(-1)). This report illustrates the effect of CdS nanosheet thickness on photo/piezo-bi-catalytic H-2-production operation and provides inspiration for engineers to develop high-efficiency two-dimension photocatalysts. [GRAPHICS] .