Aerobic Conditions Enhance the Photocatalytic Stability of CdS/CdO_x Quantum Dots.

ABSTRACT: Photocatalytic H₂ production through water splitting represents an attractive route to generate a renewable fuel. These systems are typically limited to anaerobic conditions due to the inhibiting effects of O₂ . Here, we report that sacrificial H₂ evolution with CdS quantum dots does not necessarily suffer from O₂ inhibition and can even be stabilised under aerobic conditions. The introduction of O₂ prevents a key inactivation pathway of CdS (over-accumulation of metallic Cd and particle agglomeration) and thereby affords particles with higher stability. These findings represent a possibility to exploit the O₂ reduction reaction to inhibit deactivation, rather than catalysis, offering a strategy to stabilise photocatalysts t

SUBMITTER: Wakerley DW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6348374 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature