Largely enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production rate of CdS/(Au-ReS 2 ) nanospheres by the dielectric-plasmon hybrid antenna effect

• Published in: Nanoscale Vol. 10; no. 41; pp. 19586 - 19594
• Main Authors: Liu, Jia, Chen, Kai, Pan, Gui-Ming, Luo, Zhi-Jun, Xie, Ying, Li, Ying-Ying, Lin, Yong-Jie, Hao, Zhong-Hua, Zhou, Li, Ding, Si-Jing, Wang, Qu-Quan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Royal Society of Chemistry 07.11.2018
• Subjects: Antennas; Dielectrics; Electromagnetic fields; Energy transfer; Hydrogen; Hydrogen production; Nanoparticles; Nanospheres; Nonlinear optics; Photocatalysis; Weight
• ISSN: 2040-3364; 2040-3372
• DOI: 10.1039/c8nr07013j

In this study, we synthesized CdS/(Au-ReS ) nanospheres that have highly efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production activity induced by dielectric-plasmon hybrid antenna resonance. As the diameter (D) of ReS nanospheres consisting of 2D nanosheets increases from 114 ± 11 to 218 ± 25 nm, the resonance wavelength of the ReS dielectric antenna is tuned from 380 to 620 nm and the hydrogen production rate for the CdS/(Au-ReS ) nanospheres increases by more than 1.85 times and reaches a value as high as 3060 μmol g h , with a 9% weight percentage of Au. Due to the enhancements of the local electromagnetic field and excitation energy transfer by the ReS -Au dielectric-plasmon hybrid antenna, the hydrogen production rate for the CdS/(Au-ReS ) nanospheres (D = 218 ± 25 nm) is 797, 319, 105 and 12 times larger than that for pure ReS , Au-ReS , CdS, and CdS-ReS , respectively. Additionally, the persistence and reusability measurements indicate a favorable stability of CdS/(Au-ReS ). These results provide a strategy to prepare a new class of dielectric-plasmon hybrid antennas consisting of 2D materials and metal nanoparticles, which have promise in applications ranging from photocatalysis to nonlinear optics.