Enhanced photoelectrochemical perporties of graphene nanowalls–CdS composite materials

A photo-electrochemical electrode of CdS–modified graphene walls (GWs) is fabricated via a successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) process. The as-prepared CdS–GWs composite structures could notably enhance photon absorption (in the visible region) and effectively facilitate the spatial separation of photo-generated carriers, bringing the enhanced photocurrent response. The effective area between CdS nanoparticles (NPs) and GWs is a crucial factor for the photocurrent density. Remarkably, the proposed CdS–GWs photo-anode displays satisfactory performance with the excellent photo-current density of 470 μA/cm² and wonderful stability as long as dozens of days. Our studies confirm that CdS–GWs nano-composites could work as high-performance photo-electrochemical electrodes for a lot of potential applications. - Highlights: • The GWs/CdS composites were synthesized via a simple SILAR process. • The mechanism of enhanced photocurrent response was investigated. • The GWs/CdS anode exhibits photo-current density of 470 μA/cm². • The GWs/CdS anode has excellent stability.