Core-shell amorphous cobalt phosphide/cadmium sulfide semiconductor nanorods for exceptional photocatalytic hydrogen production under visible light

Efficient hydrogen (H-2) production is considered to be a key pathway for future clean energy supply. Herein we report that a photocatalyst made of core-shell amorphous cobalt phosphide (CoPx) integrated with cadmium sulfide nanorods (CdS NRs) gives exceptional performance of photocatalytic H-2 production under visible light. Under optimal conditions, the CoPx/CdS NRs photocatalyst allows an H-2 evolution rate of similar to 500 mu mol h(-1) mg(-1) based on the photocatalyst (lambda > 420 nm) and the apparent quantum yield was similar to 35% in aqueous solutions (lambda = 450 nm). The turnover numbers (TONs) reached similar to 630 000 per mole of cobalt in 70 hours with a TOF of similar to 9000 h(-1). Such high performance of an artificial photosynthetic H-2 production system using a cobalt-based cocatalyst has, to the best of our knowledge, not been reported to date.