Ni-doped CdSe/ZnSnO3 double-shell nanocubes heterojunction for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

In order to alleviate environmental pollution and energy crisis caused by the excessive use of fossil fuels, photocatalytic water splitting to produce hydrogen as an alternative fuel has attracted widespread attention. The construction of heterojunction photocatalyst is considered to be one of the effective ways to enhance the photocatalytic hydrogen production efficiency. In this study, Ni-doped CdSe was modified on the surface of hollow ZnSnO3 double-shell nanocubes. The obtained Cd0.9Ni0.1Se/ZnSnO3 possessed high photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic hydrogen production rate could reach to 6458.0 μmol/g/h. The successful construction of hollow Cd0.9Ni0.1Se/ZnSnO3 double-shell type-I heterojunction increased visible light absorption, shortened the charge transport distance, and inhibited the recombination of electron-hole pairs, thus enhancing the photocatalytic hydrogen production performance of Cd0.9Ni0.1Se/ZnSnO3. It provided the idea for promoting the design of solar to chemical energy conversion and the effective guidance for constructing a high-efficient and stable photocatalyst.