Revealing Photocatalytic Performance of ZnxCd1- xS Nanoparticles Depending on the Irradiation Wavelength

Vy Ngoc Pham; Sangyeob Lee; Hangil Lee; Hyun Sung Kim

doi:10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c00124

Revealing Photocatalytic Performance of Zn_xCd_{1- x}S Nanoparticles Depending on the Irradiation Wavelength

Inorg Chem. 2023 Feb 27;62(8):3703-3711. doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c00124. Epub 2023 Feb 16.

Authors

Vy Ngoc Pham¹, Sangyeob Lee², Hangil Lee¹, Hyun Sung Kim²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Sookmyung Women's University, Seoul 04310, Republic of Korea.
² Department of Chemistry, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Republic of Korea.

PMID: 36795758
DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c00124

Abstract

Photocatalysts are useful for various applications, including the conservation and storage of energy, wastewater treatment, air purification, semiconductors, and production of high-value-added products. Herein, Zn_xCd_1-xS nanoparticle (NP) photocatalysts with different concentrations of Zn²⁺ ions (x = 0.0, 0.3, 0.5, or 0.7) were successfully synthesized. The photocatalytic activities of Zn_xCd_1-xS NPs varied with the irradiation wavelength. X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy were used to characterize the surface morphology and electronic properties of the Zn_xCd_1-xS NPs. In addition, in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was performed to investigate the effect of the concentration of Zn²⁺ ions on the irradiation wavelength for photocatalytic activity. Furthermore, wavelength-dependent photocatalytic degradation (PCD) activity of the Zn_xCd_1-xS NPs was investigated using biomass-derived 2,5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). We observed that the selective oxidation of HMF using Zn_xCd_1-xS NPs resulted in the formation of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid via 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxylic acid or 2,5-diformylfuran. The selective oxidation of HMF was dependent on the irradiation wavelength for PCD. Moreover, the irradiation wavelength for the PCD depended on the concentration of Zn²⁺ ions in the Zn_xCd_1-xS NPs.