Synthesis of Bi 2 S 3 nanorods supported on ZrO 2 semiconductor as an efficient photocatalyst for hydrogen production under UV and visible light

BACKGROUND To overcome the drawback of low photocatalytic efficiency due to electron − hole recombination and narrow photoresponse range, a novel Bi 2 S 3 / ZrO 2 composite photocatalyst was designed. The composite possesses wide photoabsorption up to 800 nm, which occupies mostly the UV and visible light region. Composites of Bi 2 S 3 / ZrO 2 were synthesized using a solvothermal method. The photocatalytic production of hydrogen from methanol/water, under UV and visible light, was demonstrated. RESULTS A remarkable activity for hydrogen production was obtained for Bi 2 S 3 / ZrO 2 composites under UV and visible light. The reported hydrogen production under UV light were 4440 µmol h −1 g −1 for 6 wt% Bi 2 S 3 / ZrO 2 increasing by a factor of 6 the production obtained for the bare ZrO 2 support. The hydrogen production under visible light was 1476 µmol h −1 g −1 for the same 6 wt. % Bi 2 S 3 composite showing that this photocatalyst is active under both UV and visible light. CONCLUSION The the optimal content of 6 wt. % of Bi 2 S 3 /ZrO 2 composite exhibited an enhanced performance under UV and visible light compared to bare ZrO 2 and Bi 2 S 3 semiconductors. This improvement is attributed to a reduced recombination of e − /h + , as indicated by photoluminescence ( PL ) study. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry