Pristine hexagonal CdS assembled with NiV LDH nanosheet formed p-n heterojunction for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Highlights: • An p-n heterojunction composed of CdS and NiV LDH was formed. • The recombination of photoinduced electron-hole pairs was greatly inhibited. • Highly improved photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity was obtained. Efficient charge utilization in photocatalysis are of great importance not only for improving photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, but also for achieving excellent performance of semiconductors applying for actual operation. Herein, it is demonstrated that by the way of providing an additional electric field, the migration efficiency of electron-hole pairs can be improved apparently. Specifically, for the first time, hexagonal CdS and NiV-layered double hydroxide (NiV LDH), both of them are reported to be one of the most promising materials in photocatalytic water splitting, is assembled with the mass ratio of ten to one to constract a novel p-n heterojunction photocatalyst named as CNV-2. The combination of p-type CdS and n-type NiV LDH can facilitate electrons and holes transfer and separation ultimately enhance photocatalytic hydrogen-production efficiency by providing an additional electric field. Furthermore, the delicate architecture and the excellent property in the absence of sacrificial agents is certified various characterization studies, which are in good consistent with each other, thereby confirming its potential of CNV-2p-n junction for the water-splitting reaction and energy storage.