Cauliflower-like Mn0.2Cd0.8S decorated with ReS2 nanosheets for boosting photocatalytic H2 evolution activity†
Abstract
Developing highly efficient and economical co-catalysts to enhance the photocatalytic H2 evolution performance has received extensive attention in the last few years. Herein, cauliflower-like Mn0.2Cd0.8S (MCS) decorated with ReS2 nanosheets was hydrothermally fabricated and exhibited an enhanced H2 evolution activity. The 5 wt% ReS2/MCS composite obtained an optimal H2 evolution rate of 17.31 mmol g−1 h−1, which was approximately a 10-fold improvement over that of pure MCS. The coupling of MnxCd1−xS and ReS2 could form superior interfacial contacts between the two components and offer a feasible route to promote the charge separation efficiency. Moreover, as a co-catalyst, the two-dimensional nanosheet structure of ReS2 was conducive to exposing more active sites to boost surface H2 evolution reactions.