PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF (ZN,CD)S PHOTOELECTRODES FOR HYDROGEN-PRODUCTION

The authors report the preparation and characterization of (Zn,Cd)S (Z CS) photoelectrodes for hydrogen and oxygen production in a photoelect rolytic cell. ZCS photoelectrodes were prepared by mixing CdS and ZnS powders and sintering at high temperature in the presence of CdCl2, as the flux. In some cases the ZCS was loaded with Mo during the prepara tion. These mixtures were characterized by structural analysis using X -ray diffraction (XRD), photosensitivity measurements in artificial li ght (halogen and xenon lamps)in solid state, and in a 0.1 M solution o f Na2SO3. The results indicate that a screen printed CdS-ZnS mixture p ossesses high photosensitivity for its application as photocatalysts f or water electrolysis. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on b ehalf of the International Association for Hydrogen Energy.