Jinhua Xiong

An efficient cocatalyst of defect-decorated MoS2 ultrathin nanoplates for the promotion of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution over CdS nanocrystal

The defect degree of MoS2 ultrathin nanoplates are tailored easily via a facile one-pot hydrothermal method. The defect-rich MoS2 ultrathin nanoplates show excellent promotion of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution over CdS; 5.4 times as much as that of the CdS/Pt (1%), which arises from the dual-functional effect of the unique defect-decorated MoS2 ultrathin nanoplates.

Ultrathin HNb3O8 nanosheet: an efficient photocatalyst for the hydrogen production

A ultrathin HNb3O8 nanosheet was successfully prepared through a top-down approach. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) further confirmed that the thickness of the nanosheet was about 1.30 nm. The structure and the surface chemical state of the HNb3O8 nanosheet were well-characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS), Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity of the HNb3O8 nanosheet was about 4 times higher than that of layered HNb3O8 under ultraviolet irradiation. The enhanced activity was ascribed to the unique two-dimensional structure with a molecular thickness that leads to the effective separation of the photogenerated carriers. Moreover, a considerable variation in the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity of the HNb3O8 nanosheet was observed when suitable metals were loaded on the nanosheet via in situ photodeposition.

An architecture of CdS/H2Ti5O11 ultrathin nanobelt for photocatalytic hydrogenation of 4-nitroaniline with highly efficient performance

A CdS/H2Ti5O11 ultrathin nanobelt nanocomposite (CdTi) was fabricated successfully by a two-step process. It was confirmed by SEM and TEM/HRTEM that the highly dispersed CdS about 15 nm in size was firmly anchored on the ultrathin nanobelt. The as-prepared CdTi-5 with an optimal loading of 81.3% CdS converted 4-nitroaniline to p-phenylenediamine, giving almost 100% yield with a selectivity of about 98% in 3 min under visible light irradiation. Its photocatalytic activity was much higher than that of the bare CdS and P25/CdS composition. The highly efficient performance was attributed to the synergetic effects of the formed heterojunction between titanate, nanobelt and CdS as well as the unique features of the titanate nanobelt, which makes the photo-generated electron to transfer smoothly and promotes the separation of photo-induced carriers. Finally, based on the experimental results of Mott–Schottky, UV-vis DRS and EPR, a possible reaction mechanism for the hydrogenation of 4-nitroaniline over the CdTi was proposed.