Construction of plasmonic 1T-WS2/2H-WS2/CdS heterostructures for enhanced solar driven hydrogen evolution

Abstract

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) has been approved as a distinguished approach to improving the light absorption and carrier migration of photocatalysts. Herein, taking advantage of the LSPR effect of WS₂ nanosheets, 1T-WS₂/2H-WS₂/CdS heterostructures have been constructed for hydrogen production through photocatalytic water splitting. Such heterostructures have strong light absorption ability and excellent photocorrosion resistance. Finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations demonstrate that the LSPR effect of WS₂ nanosheets can improve the photocatalytic performance of 1T-WS₂/2H-WS₂/CdS heterostructures through photothermal assistance as well as generated hot electrons, and the maximum hydrogen evolution rate of the heterostructures can be further raised to 4.67 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹. Significantly, the performance can remain stable in 20 h reaction cycles. This work provides new insight into the design of plasmonic photocatalysts for solar-driven hydrogen evolution.