Fabrication of CdS-decorated mesoporous SiC hollow nanofibers for efficient visible-light-driven photocatalytic hydrogen production

In the present work, we reported the fabrication of CdS decorated mesoporous SiC hollow nanofibers for efficient visible-light-driven photocatalytic hydrogen production. The mesoporous SiC hollow nanofibers were firstly fabricated by electrospinning, followed by hydrothermal treatment to introduce the CdS nanoparticles decorated on the preformed fiber matrix, The resultant CdS/SiC hybrid photocatalysts were systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and N2 adsorption. The as-fabricated CdS/SiC hybrids exhibited a robust stability with a release rate up to ~ 124.65 µmol h−1 g−1 for photocatalytic H2 evolution driven by visible light, which was profoundly enhanced for more than 16 times to that of pristine SiC counterparts, and comparable to the state-of-the-art one of SiC-based photocatalysts.