Highly efficient splitting of benzyl alcohol for the production of hydrogen and benzaldehyde using synergistic CuNi/CdS photocatalysts

The production of hydrogen and benzaldehyde (BAD) by splitting benzyl alcohol (BA) through photocatalysts is one of the common methods of converting solar energy to chemical energy. Herein, a photocatalyst to achieve high efficiency in hydrogen production was fabricated by loading Cu-Ni bi-metal on the CdS nanorods as a carrier. The 20% Cu1Ni1/CdS composite catalyst was used for simultaneous photocatalyze H2 production and BA oxidation to BAD under light with activities of 14.517 and 13.220 mmol g-1h−1, respectively, which is 8.7 times and 7.9 times higher than that of pure CdS. The high production efficiency can be mainly attributed to the synergistic effect of Cu-Ni bi-metal and the close contact between Cu-Ni and CdS interfaces. These microstructures enhance light absorption, effectively promote charge separation, and reduce the complexation of photogenerated electrons and holes. This work provides new ideas for the design of a cost-effective catalyst.