Simultaneously Effi cient Solar Light Harvesting and Charge Transfer of Hollow Octahedral Cu_(2)S/CdS p-n Heterostructures for Remarkable Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation

Solar-driven water splitting is a promising alternative to industrial hydrogen production.This study reports an elaborate design and synthesis of the integration of cadmium sulfi de(CdS)quantum dots and cuprous sulfi de(Cu_(2)S)nanosheets as three-dimensional(3D)hollow octahedral Cu_(2)S/CdS p-n heterostructured architectures by a versatile template and one-pot sulfi dation strategy.3D hierarchical hollow nanostructures can strengthen multiple refl ections of solar light and provide a large specifi c surface area and abundant reaction sites for photocatalytic water splitting.Owing to the construction of the p-n heterostructure as an ideal catalytic model with highly matched band alignment at Cu_(2)S/CdS interfaces,the emerging internal electric fi eld can facilitate the space separation and transfer of photoexcited charges between CdS and Cu_(2)S and also enhance charge dynamics and prolong charge lifetimes.Notably,the unique hollow Cu_(2)S/CdS architectures deliver a largely enhanced visible-light-driven hydrogen generation rate of 4.76 mmol/(g·h),which is nearly 8.5 and 476 times larger than that of pristine CdS and Cu_(2)S catalysts,respectively.This work not only paves the way for the rational design and fabrication of hollow photocatalysts but also clarifi es the crucial role of unique heterostructure in photocatalysis for solar energy conversion.