Construction of ternary Ni2P/ZIF-8/CdS composite for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production and pollutant degradation: Accelerating separation of photogenerated carriers

Constructing heterojunctions for efficient charge separation is a crucial method to boost photocatalytic activity. Initially, zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) nanoparticles were synthesized in situ on the surface of cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoflowers, creating a novel ZIF-8/CdS composite material. Subsequently, a ternary Ni2P/ZIF-8/CdS composite was fabricated for photocatalytic hydrogen production and pollution reduction. The optimally obtained Ni2P/ZIF-8/CdS composites showed excellent photocatalytic efficiency and structural sta-bility under simulated solar light irradiation. The hydrogen production rate of Ni2P/ZIF-8/CdS composite was 21.05 mmol h1 g1. Additionally, Ni2P/ZIF-8/CdS degraded malachite green (MG) with 99% efficiency. It was found that the proximity of sulfides to porous MOFs accelerated the separation of light-induced charges. Nickel phosphide (Ni2P) played a vital role in photocatalytic reactions, serving the dual function of capturing photo-generated electrons and accelerating separation of photogenerated carriers. Mechanistic and characterization studies revealed that constructing heterojunction between CdS and ZIF-8 could promote photogenerated carrier transport, enhance the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers, ultimately improving the photocatalytic hydrogen production performance and degradation efficiency.