Amine-CdS for exfoliating and distributing bulk MoO3 for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and Cr(VI) reduction

Abstract The ultra-small catalysts have been obtained previously by electrostatic-assisted ultrasonic exfoliation of their bulk counterparts with the help of dissolved amine-based polymers. This study prepared amine-functionalized CdS for exfoliating bulk MoO3. Owing to the interaction between amine and metal, MoO3 was able to be homogeneously distributed on amine-CdS through electrostatic-assisted ultrasonication of bulk MoO3. Non-treated CdS sonicated with MoO3 (CdS/MoO3) was also prepared as a reference. The catalysts were compared for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and Cr(VI) reduction. FTIR confirmed the successful incorporation of amine in amine-CdS. XPS indicated that amine groups played an important role in binding amine-CdS and MoO3. SEM images suggested that amine-CdS/MoO3 present a succulent-like structure with MoO3 homogeneously distributed. The better dispersion of MoO3 and higher contact area between amine-CdS and MoO3 enhanced the photocatalytic performance compared to CdS/MoO3. This study might be useful for designing amine-functionalized materials to exfoliate and load co-catalysts for photocatalytic reactions.