C₆₀- and CdS-Co-Modified Nano-Titanium Dioxide for Highly Efficient Photocatalysis and Hydrogen Production

The inherent properties of TiO₂, including a wide band gap and restricted spectral response range, hinder its commercial application and its ability to harness only 2-3% of solar energy. To address these challenges and unlock TiO₂'s full potential in photocatalysis, C₆₀- and CdS-co-modified nano-titanium dioxide has been adopted in this work to reduce the band gap, extend the absorption wavelength, and control photogenerated carrier recombination, thereby enhancing TiO₂'s light-energy-harnessing capabilities and hydrogen evolution capacity. Using the sol-gel method, we successfully synthesized CdS-C₆₀/TiO₂ composite nanomaterials, harnessing the unique strengths of CdS and C₆₀. The results showed a remarkable average yield of 34.025 μmol/h for TiO₂ co-modified with CdS and C₆₀, representing a substantial 17-fold increase compared to pure CdS. Simultaneously, the average hydrogen generation of C₆₀-modified CdS surged to 5.648 μmol/h, a notable two-fold improvement over pure CdS. This work opens up a new avenue for the substantial improvement of both the photocatalytic degradation efficiency and hydrogen evolution capacity, offering promise of a brighter future in photocatalysis research.