Engineering Reaction Kinetics by Tailoring the Metal Tips of Metal-Semiconductor Nanodumbbells

Semiconductor-metal hybrid nanostructures are one of the best model catalysts for understanding photocatalytic hydrogen generation. To investigate the optimal structure of metal cocatalysts, metal-CdSe-metal nanodumbbells were synthesized with three distinct sets of metal tips, Pt-CdSe-Pt, Au-CdSe-Au, and Au-CdSe-Pt. Photoelectrochemical responses and transient absorption spectra showed that the competition between the charge recombination at the metal-CdSe interface and the water reduction on the metal surface is a detrimental factor for the apparent hydrogen evolution rate. For instance, a large recombination rate (k_rec) at the Pt-CdSe interface limits the quantum yield of hydrogen generation despite a superior water reduction rate (k_WR) on the Pt surface. To suppress the recombination process, Pt was selectively deposited onto the Au tips of Au-CdSe-Au nanodumbbells in which the k_rec was diminished at the Au-CdSe interface, and the large k_WR was maintained on the Pt surface. As a result, the optimal structure of the Pt-coated Au-CdSe-Au nanodumbbells reached a quantum yield of 4.84%. These findings successfully demonstrate that the rational design of a metal cocatalyst and metal-semiconductor interface can additionally enhance the catalytic performance of the photochemical hydrogen generation reactions.