Visible-light driven H2 evolution coupled with furfuryl alcohol selective oxidation over Ru atom decorated Zn0.5Cd0.5S nanorods

Abstract

Biomass photoreforming represents one of the most innovative and promising approaches to address energy and environmental issues by integrating artificial photosynthesis and biomass conversion. However, it suffers from low solar conversion efficiency due to the fast recombination of electron–hole pairs. Herein, we synthesized Ru atom decorated Zn_0.5Cd_0.5S nanorods with excellent photocatalytic activity in furfuryl alcohol oxidation coupled with H₂ evolution compared with other noble metal decorated Zn_0.5Cd_0.5S. Moreover, an almost 100% selectivity of furfural was achieved. It is revealed that the strong interaction between the Ru atom and Zn_0.5Cd_0.5S nanorods not only benefits the activation of furfuryl alcohol, but also accelerates the separation and transportation of photogenerated charges from Zn_0.5Cd_0.5S towards the Ru atom, boosting the photocatalytic performance. It is expected that the metal single atom decoration strategy will provide new clues for the achievement of a highly efficient and selective catalytic system for biomass photoreforming.