Enhanced effect of CdS on amorphous Mo15S19 for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Abstract

Research on cheap co-catalysts to increase hydrogen evolution and improve catalyst stability is an important developmental direction in the field of photocatalytic hydrogen release. In this work, Mo₁₅S₁₉/CdS nanocomposites were synthesized via a facile multistep synthesis method. On account of the larger specific surface area, more active sites and more favorable photogenic carrier separation of the composite photocatalyst, the 5%-Mo₁₅S₁₉/CdS obtained the highest hydrogen production capacity. The rate reached 142.9 μmol h⁻¹ (10 mg), which is 8.4 times that of the pristine CdS nanorods. The introduction of Mo₁₅S₁₉ can reduce the surface resistance and improve the transportation of photogenerated electrons on the surface of CdS, resulting in a significant reduction in the recombination rate of the photogenerated electrons, thereby promoting the photocatalytic hydrogen production performance of CdS. This work not only provides an effective co-catalyst to improve the rate of photocatalytic water splitting of CdS, but also provides a reference for the development of novel high efficiency catalysts.