Graphene-Encapsulated CdS as a High-Performance Photocatalyst for H2O2 Production from Pure Water

Photocatalytic production of H2O2 has drawnbroad research attention owing to its environmental benignity. However,the low activity and selectivity of this process need to be addressed.Accordingly, we herein report a photocatalyst based on reduced grapheneoxide loaded with CdS nanoparticles and modified with anthraquinone-2-sulfonate(AQS) to address the above challenges. A photocatalytic H2O2 yield of 558 & mu;mol g(-1) h(-1) was achieved in purified water without an electrondonor or aeration. Mechanistic studies showed that this high performancemay be attributed to the combination of graphene and CdS promotingcharge-carrier separation/transfer and increasing the quantity ofadsorption and reaction sites as well as the highly selective two-electronoxygen reduction capacity of AQS. Overall, this composite photocatalystovercomes a number of impediments to photocatalytic production ofH(2)O(2) and will facilitate the application ofsolar energy in the production of H2O2.

Automated summary

This study reports a photocatalyst based on reduced graphene oxide and CdS nanoparticles, modified with anthraquinone-2-sulfonate (AQS), which achieved a photocatalytic H2O2 yield of 558 μmol g(-1) h(-1) in purified water. The high performance of this composite photocatalyst is attributed to the combination of graphene and CdS promoting charge-carrier separation/transfer, increasing the quantity of adsorption and reaction sites, and the selective two-electron oxygen reduction capacity of AQS.