CdS nanorod based photocatalysts stabilized by corrole for hydrogen generation

Hydrogen energy is cleanest and more powerful, comparing with petroleum, coal and natural gas. Photo-catalytic water splitting is an efficient route to generate hydrogen. CdSe@CdS nano-structure has been demonstrated as an excellent photocatalyst. In our lab, almost 100% efficiency from photon to hydrogen molecule has been achieved. However, in the perfert records, reaction occurred in high pH, and isopropanol that reacted with OH radical was consumed very quickly.

In this reseach, Mn-centered corrole was adopted to replace isopropanol. Varied ratio between Pt tipped rod and corrole was tried. The best results showed that the quantum efficiency for hydrogen generation can reach 1.83% without addition of isoproposal, and one corrole molecule can react with over 15 thousands OH radicals.The high stability of corrole provides great potential for improvement of hydrogen generation efficiency.