MXenes as emerging 2D materials for hydrogen generation: advances and future prospects Pooja Varma, Sukanya Saha, Nithin Kumar Banoth, Appala Naidu Chokkapu, Seung Jun Lee, B. Moses Abraham, D. Amaranatha Reddy, Ujjwal Pal Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2026 MXenes are promising two-dimensional materials with high electrical conductivity, large surface area, and tuneable surface terminations, enabling efficient electrocatalytic, photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance.
Significance of transition metal dichalcogenides and their role in the activity of semiconductor materials for spectacular photocatalytic hydrogen production Khai H. Do, Uyen T. T. Doan, D. Amaranatha Reddy, D. Praveen Kumar, Tae Kyu Kim Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society, 2025 The transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are an important class of two‐dimensional materials due to their tunable band gap, high carrier mobility, and adjustable carrier concentration. Owing to these advantages, TMD can be utilized in a wide range of applications. In this work, we discuss the role of TMDs and their modifications on semiconductor materials for photocatalytic activity studies. Several modification strategies of MoS 2 have been explored to enhance its photocatalytic activity. These include: (i) deposition of few‐layered MoS 2 on CdS to increase surface‐active site density (FMC), (ii) activating basal plane sites in addition to edge sites via Cu doping (Cu‐FMC), and (iii) coupling with conductive reduced graphene oxide to facilitate charge transport while retaining catalytic edge sites (RGO‐FMC). Comparative photocatalytic studies under solar light irradiation with lactic acid as a hole scavenger reveal that Cu doping enhances the intrinsic activity of MoS 2 , while reduced graphene oxide suppresses electron–hole recombination, and their combined structural modifications significantly boost hydrogen evolution performance, providing valuable insights into the rational design of transition metal sulfide‐based heterostructures for solar fuel production.
Impact of microwave irradiation on the optical properties of copper zinc tin sulfide (Cu₂ZnSnS₄) nanoparticles R. Manigandan, S. Aravindhan, S. Srinivasan, K. Lokeswara Rao, D. Amaranatha Reddy, M. Silambarasan, S. Gunasekaran Next Materials, 2025 The present work explores the optical properties of pure and microwave-irradiated CZTS nanoparticles focusing on absorption, photoluminescence (PL), and CIE chromaticity analyses. Microwave-irradiation notably enhances the optical efficiency of CZTS resulting in enhanced light-absorption characteristics compared to Pure-CZTS. Microwave irradiation notably enhances the optical efficiency of CZTS, resulting in a ∼2 fold increase in Urbach energy (from 22.28 meV to 49.74 meV) and enhanced PL emission intensity, indicating greater structural disorder and improved radiative recombination. The chromaticity coordinates shift slightly from (0.2125, 0.1476) to (0.2227, 0.1436) suggesting emission tuning potential. These improvements demonstrate the potential of irradiated CZTS for optoelectronic applications requiring effective light absorption. The enhanced optical performance of microwave-irradiated CZTS demonstrates its potential as an efficient material for optoelectronic applications, making it a promising material for devices relying on effective light absorption. • Microwave-irradiation enhances optical absorption of CZTS improving photon-capture efficiency in the visible range. • SEM shows irradiated CZTS with compact morphology, reduced grain boundaries, and improved particle interaction. • Enhanced PL emission and chromaticity shift highlight microwave irradiation's role in tuning CZTS for Optoelectronic use. • Increased Urbach energy in irradiated CZTS indicates structural disorder, supporting sub-bandgap photon absorption. • Overall, good efficiency was obtained due to synergistic effects of microwave irradiation.
Cocatalyst-Free and Highly Crystalline Sb2S3 Nanorods for Enhanced Hydrogen Yield Under Sunlight Neeraja Velpula, Narayana Thota, G. Hema Chandra, D. Amaranatha Reddy, Y.P. Venkata Subbaiah ACS Applied Energy Materials, 2025 Hydrogen (H 2 ) production through the photocatalytic process of semiconductors is a promising way to turn solar energy into chemical energy. In recent times, host semiconductors are coupled with a variety of cocatalysts to improve photon absorption, facilitate fast charge carrier separation and transportation, and boost surface catalytic activity. Herein, we synthesized cocatalyst-free and pristine Sb 2 S 3 nanorods using a simple hydrothermal method at an optimal temperature of 180 °C for different time durations from 3 to 6 h. The pristine Sb 2 S 3 nanorods were comprehensively investigated for microstructural quality and quantity features using XRD, Raman, XPS, EDS, SEM, and TEM. Optical and photocatalyst charge carrier kinetics were studied using UV–Vis spectrophotometer, photoluminescence, and EIS studies. The surface area studies were conducted on Sb 2 S 3 nanorods using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis, and finally, photocatalytic hydrogen evolution tests were performed using gas chromatography (GC). The synthesis time has a significant impact on crystallinity, leading to improved structural and morphological properties with time. Specifically, Sb 2 S 3 nanorods synthesized over 6 h exhibit an enhanced specific surface area of 7.52 m 2 /g and a pore size of 2.3 nm. The 6 h Sb 2 S 3 nanorods exhibit a relatively longer lifetime (36 ms), indicating low recombination rate of photogenerated carriers, and promote efficient catalytic water splitting. The high specific surface area, low-intensity photoluminescence peak, less charge transfer resistance, and high transient photocurrent response of 6 h Sb 2 S 3 nanorods, indicating that the enhanced synthesis time facilitates faster e – -h + separation and provides a larger surface area with a number of active sites. Under optimal conditions, the 6 h pristine Sb 2 S 3 nanorods have demonstrated a high H 2 yield of 16.89 μmol·h –1 for this material.
Effect of Mg doping on the structural and optical properties of CdS nanoparticles synthesized by co-precipitation method Journal of Nano and Electronic Physics, 2012
Effect of annealing on structural and optical properties of ZnS nanocrystals Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials Rapid Communications, 2011
Investigations on ZnS nanoparticles based on synthesis temperature for optoelectronic device applications Journal of Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials, 2010
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Significance of transition metal dichalcogenides and their role in the activity of semiconductor materials for spectacular photocatalytic hydrogen production KH Do, UTT Doan, DA Reddy, DP Kumar, TK Kim Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society , 2025 2025
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