Enhancing Hydrogen Photogeneration Activity of CdSe/CdS Core/Shell Quantum Dots via the “Giant” Nanostructure

Colloidal semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have garnered significant attention as promising photocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction, but their performance is still unsatisfactory owing to the inherent limitations in carrier separation and transport dynamics within QD systems. Herein, the "giant" CdSe/CdS core/shell QDs (GQDs) were employed for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution applications. Notably, it exhibits a significantly enhanced activity (4.26-fold) compared to the conventional CdSe/CdS core/shell QDs under visible light illumination. Further investigations reveal that the shell-thickness-dependent lifetime and separation efficiency of charge carriers are responsible for the enhancement. The results are expected to provide insights and theoretical foundations for the rational design of QD-based photocatalysts.