Compositionally engineered Cd-Mo-Se alloyed QDs toward photocatalytic HO production and Cr(VI) reduction with a detailed mechanism and influencing parameters.

With the exceptional advantages of safety, greenness, and low cost, photocatalytic HO generation has kindled a wonderful spark, although being severely hampered by the terrible photoinduced exciton recombination, migration, and surface decomposition. Here, employing reflux method, the Cd-Mo-Se quantum dots of varying molar ratios of Cd and Mo were synthesized using thioglycolic acid as the capping ligand to regulate their growth. This type of metal alloying promotes rapid charge migration, improves light harvesting, and reduces the rate of charge recombination.