Modulation of Schottky Barrier Height and Electronic Structure in Transition-Metal@Nitrogen-Doped-Carbon Core–Shell Cocatalysts Loaded with Mn x Cd 1– x S Nanorods for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Transition-metal (TM)/carbon nanocomposites have emerged as a type of low-cost high-efficiency photocatalysis cocatalyst for their high photoactivity comparable to typical noble metals such as Pt. However, the underlying cocatalytic mechanism in this combined nanoscaled system has not been understood sufficiently. In this work, a core–shell nanoparticle (NP) cocatalyst has been designed and synthesized by using three kinds of large-work-function TMs (Co, Ni, and Cu) and nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) to construct a core–shell structure (TM@NC), and its photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance has been studied with MnxCd1–xS nanorods (NRs). It has been found that the TMs endow the TM@NC NPs with large work…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 22272150, 52262031, 22102145, 22472155
• NS
  Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province

  Awards: LY22B030012, LD22B030002