Photocorrosion inhibition of CdS-based catalysts for photocatalytic overall water splitting

Abstract

The urgent need for clean and renewable energy drives the exploration of effective strategies to produce hydrogen. Semiconductor-based photocatalytic hydrogen production technology is one of the ideal processes for direct solar energy conversion and storage that has been widely studied. The development of highly efficient photocatalysts is essential for the cost-effective and large-scale production of hydrogen. CdS-based semiconductor photocatalysts have attracted significant attention due to their unique advantages, including strong visible light absorption capacity, suitable band edge levels and excellent electronic charge transfer. However, unlike TiO₂ with good photostability, the intrinsic drawback of photocorrosion of CdS-based semiconductors significantly challenges their durable application in photocatalysis. This review focuses on recent advances in material design and strategies for improving the anti-photocorrosion of CdS-based photocatalysts for applications in photocatalytic overall water splitting to produce hydrogen. Moreover, brief prospective development and challenges in the synthesis of anti-corrosion CdS-based photocatalysts are also presented.