Solvent-directed Laser Ablation Tunes CdPS3/CdS Nanostructures, Achieving Visible Light Absorption and 90% Phase Control

The challenge of harnessing visible light for efficient solar energy conversion drives research into novel materials, and a team led by Andrei Ushkov and Nadezhda Belozerova from the Moscow Center for Advanced Studies, alongside Gleb Tikhonowski et al. from the Emerging Technologies Research Center, now presents a significant advance in this field. They demonstrate a new method for precisely controlling the structure and properties of cadmium phosphorus trisulfide, a material with potential for solar applications, using a technique called femtosecond laser ablation in liquid. This innovative approach allows them to tune the material’s composition, creating a hybrid structure incorporating cadmium sulfide, and crucially, introduces defects that dramatically enhance its ability to absorb visible light and drive chemical reactions. The resulting nanostructures exhibit exceptional performance in degrading pollutants, achieving nearly complete breakdown of a dye molecule under standard illumination, and establishes a scalable route towards high-performance metal-thiophosphate photocatalysts.

Wide-bandgap van der Waals crystals currently limit efficiency in solar energy conversion due to their limited absorption of visible light. This research presents a new strategy for creating cadmium phosphorus trisulfide (CdPS3) with tailored properties using femtosecond pulsed laser ablation in liquid, a technique that precisely controls material creation. By carefully controlling the laser process, scientists engineered the phase and optoelectronic properties of CdPS3, addressing a key challenge in developing more efficient solar energy materials.

CdPS3 Nanoparticles Synthesized by Laser Ablation

This research details the synthesis and characterization of cadmium phosphorus trisulfide (CdPS3) nanoparticles using femtosecond laser ablation in liquid. The team focused on creating these nanoparticles for potential applications in sustainable energy conversion, such as water splitting and photocatalysis. They successfully synthesized CdPS3 nanoparticles using this versatile technique, allowing control over size and properties. Detailed characterization using scanning electron microscopy revealed the morphology and size of the nanoparticles, while x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy determined their elemental composition and chemical states.

Raman spectroscopy confirmed the formation of CdPS3. The synthesized nanoparticles demonstrate promise for photocatalytic applications, potentially enabling hydrogen production through water splitting and degrading organic pollutants in water. These findings contribute to the development of more efficient and sustainable energy technologies and offer a potential solution for cleaning up polluted water sources. The fs-PLAL method provides a route for creating high-quality nanoparticles for various nanotechnology applications. CdPS3 is a layered 2D material, similar to graphene, with unique electronic and optical properties. Photocatalysis utilizes a semiconductor material, like CdPS3, to accelerate chemical reactions using light. Femtosecond laser ablation in liquid involves using a femtosecond laser to create nanoparticles from a target material immersed in a liquid.

Solvent Controls CdPS3 Phase Transformation to Photocatalyst

This research establishes a novel method for engineering the properties of cadmium phosphorus trisulfide (CdPS3) using femtosecond pulsed laser ablation in liquid, achieving a tunable transition from the original ternary phase to a highly active binary-rich heterostructure. Scientists demonstrated that the choice of liquid solvent dramatically influences the resulting material composition, acting as a “master switch” for material design. Experiments revealed that ablation in water preserves the monoclinic CdPS3 lattice, while isopropanol triggers the formation of cadmium sulfide (CdS) dots and metallic cadmium defect sites. This solvent-induced phase engineering transforms the ultraviolet-active host material into a robust visible-light photocatalyst.

Detailed structural characterization, including transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction, confirmed the formation of distinct CdPS3 and CdS phases, particularly in samples created using isopropanol and acetonitrile. Quantitative elemental analysis using energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy revealed that increasing the use of organic solvents promotes CdS formation, with isopropanol yielding a colloid dominated by the binary phase, achieving 88. 7 mol% CdS. Raman spectroscopy further distinguished the phase compositions by comparing the spectra of bulk CdPS3 with the colloidal samples. The resulting hybrid CdPS3/CdS nanocolloids exhibit superior charge separation efficiency, driven by Schottky-like metal-semiconductor junctions, achieving approximately 90% degradation of methylene blue under 532nm irradiation within 30 minutes. This work establishes femtosecond pulsed laser ablation as a scalable defect-engineering tool for complex ternary layered materials, offering a new design pathway for high-performance metal-thiophosphate-based photocatalysts.

Solvent Control of CdPS3 Photocatalytic Properties

This research demonstrates a novel method for enhancing the performance of cadmium phosphorus trisulfide (CdPS3), a material with potential in solar energy conversion. Scientists successfully engineered both the phase and optoelectronic properties of CdPS3 using femtosecond pulsed laser ablation in liquid, a technique allowing precise control over nanoparticle formation. By carefully selecting the liquid environment, specifically using isopropanol instead of water, they induced a transformation from the original material to a hybrid structure containing cadmium sulfide (CdS) quantum dots and metallic cadmium defect sites. This solvent-directed approach effectively converts a material primarily active in the ultraviolet spectrum into a robust visible-light photocatalyst. The resulting CdPS3/CdS nanocolloids exhibit significantly improved charge separation efficiency, facilitated by Schottky-like junctions, and achieve approximately 90% degradation of Methylene Blue under green light irradiation within half an hour. This work establishes femtosecond pulsed laser ablation in liquid as a scalable technique for defect engineering in complex layered materials, opening new avenues for designing high-performance metal-thiophosphate-based photocatalysts.