Recent Advances on Alloyed Quantum Dots for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution: A Mini-Review

Hydrogen is becoming a promising eco-friendly energy carrier to replace traditional nonrenewable fossil fuels. In this context, photocatalytic water splitting photosystems are considered a green tactic. Alloyed quantum dots (QDs) are considered as earth abundant, low cost, and environmentally friendly photocatalysts to be utilized effectively in photocatalytic H-2 evolution. H-2 production efficiency greatly depends upon tunable optical and electronic properties associated with chemical composition as well as nanoscale particle sizes of alloyed QDs. Recent efforts toward the fabrication of various alloyed QDs by varying the surface atomic ratio and ligand exchange for photocatalytic hydrogen production has been presented and appraised here. Furthermore, in this review, we presented the microstructure and optical properties of alloyed QDs with their advantages and the construction of efficient cadmium-bound and cadmium-free alloyed QDs toward a photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction. At last, the challenges as well as critical issues of alloyed QDs and alloyed QDs-based photocatalysts for H-2 evolution has been proposed, with the hope that this mini-review will give a superior perceptive of different alloyed QDs.

Automated summary

Alloyed quantum dots are considered as promising and environmentally friendly photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution due to their earth abundance and low cost. Recent research focuses on tuning the optical and electronic properties of alloyed QDs by varying surface atomic ratio and ligand exchange. Challenges and critical issues in utilizing alloyed QDs for H-2 evolution are also discussed, aiming to provide a better understanding of their potential applications.