NiSe₂ Nanoparticles Grown in Situ on CdS Nanorods for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

The construction of heterojunction photocatalysts can accelerate the separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and thus improve the photocatalytic activity. Herein, novel NiSe 2 /CdS heterojunctions were successfully constructed using an in situ solvothermal method. The as-obtained NiSe 2 /CdS composites are composed of NiSe 2 nanoparticles grown in situ on CdS nanorods. The resultant 5 wt % NiSe 2 /CdS sample exhibited good stability and a high photocatalytic H 2 -production rate of 167.1 mmol g –1 h –1, which is 2.7 times higher than that of bare CdS. The apparent quantum yield was 1.5% at 420 nm. The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be ascribed to effective charge separation and the charge fast transfer between CdS nanorods and NiSe 2 nanoparticles. This work demonstrates that low-cost NiSe 2 can act as a highly efficient cocatalyst for rational design of high-performance photocatalysts.