Photodeposition of Pt on Colloidal CdS and CdSe/CdS Semiconductor Nanostructures

Semiconductor photocatalysis has been identified as a promising avenue for the conversion of solar energy into environmentally friendly fuels, most notably by the production of hydrogen from water.[1–5] Nanometer-scale materials in particular have attracted considerable scientific attention as the building blocks for light-harvesting applications.[6,7] Their desirable attributes include tunability of the optical properties with size, amenability to relatively inexpensive low-temperature processing, and a high degree of synthetic sophistication leading to increasingly complex and multi-functional architectures. For photocatalysis in particular, the high surfacetovolume ratios in nanoscale materials should lead to an increased availability of carriers for redox reactions on the nanoparticle surface.