Abstract
Copper-based chalcogenides of earth-abundant elements have recently arisen as an alternate material for solar energy conversion. Cu2FeSnS4 (CITS), a quaternary chalcogenide that has received relatively little attention, has the potential to be developed into a low-cost and environmentlly friendly material for photovoltaics and photocatalysis. Herein, we report, for the first time, the synthesis, characterization, and growth mechanism of novel Au/CITS core-shell nanostructures with controllable morphology. Precise manipulations in the core-shell dimensions are demonstrated to yield two distinct heterostructures with spherical and multipod gold nanoparticle (NP) cores (Ausp/CITS and Aump/CITS). In photocatalytic hydrogen generation with as-synthesized Au/CITS NPs, the presence of Au cores inside the CITS shell resulted in higher hydrogen generation rates, which can be attributed to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect. The Ausp/CITS and Aump/CITS core-shell NPs enhanced the photocatalytic hydrogen generation by about 125% and 240%, respectively, compared to bare CITS NPs.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 9072-9077 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 17 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 6 May 2015 |
Keywords
- Anisotropic growth
- Au/CITS core-shell
- Hydrogen evolution
- Photocatalysis
- Surface plasmon resonance
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Materials Science