Mk. Arora et al., Alumina-supported cadmium sulfide photocatalysts for hydrogen production from water: Role of dissolved ammonia in the impregnating solution, IND ENG RES, 38(12), 1999, pp. 4694-4699
Alumina-supported cadmium sulfide photocatalysts were prepared for the phot
ocatalytic reduction of water to hydrogen using visible Light. The activity
depends on the loading of CdS in catalysts and on the solution used for th
e impregnation of alumina for catalyst preparation. The catalysts were char
acterized by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Those
catalysts, which had CdS in crystalline form and preferentially distributed
on the surface, showed better activity. The crystallinity of CdS was relat
ed to the loading of CdS in the catalyst. The use of an ammoniacal impregna
ting solution resulted in a preferential distribution of CdS on the surface
of alumina. The possible role of ammonia in causing the solute segregation
to the surface during the drying stage of the catalyst preparation has bee
n explained.