Co(0.9)Co(0.1)S Nanorods with an Internal Electric Field and Photothermal Effect Synergistically for Boosting Photocatalytic H(2) Evolution

The paper reports a strategy to synthesize Cd(0.9)Co(0.1)S nanorods (NRs) via a one-pot solvothermal method. Remarkably, the pencil-shaped Cd(0.9)Co(0.1)S NRs with a large aspect ratio and good polycrystalline plane structure significantly shorten the photogenerated carrier transfer path and achieve fast separation. An appropriate amount of Co addition enhances visible light-harvesting and generates a photothermal effect to improve the surface reaction kinetics and increases the charge transfer rate. Moreover, the internal electric field facilitates the separation and transfer of carriers and effectively impedes their recombination. As a result, the optimized Cd(0.9)Co(0.1)S NRs yield a remarkable H(2) evolution rate of 8.009 mmol·g(−1)·h(−1), which is approximately 7.2 times higher than that of pristine CdS. This work improves the photocatalytic hydrogen production rate by tuning and optimizing electronic structures through element addition and using the photothermal synergistic effect.