Surface engineering of CdS with ternary Bi/Bi2MoO6-MoS2 heterojunctions for enhanced photoexcited charge separation in solar-driven hydrogen evolution reaction

• Published in: Applied surface science 2021-11, Vol.565, p.150601, Article 150601
• Main Authors: Chava, Rama Krishna, Son, Namgyu, Kang, Misook
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amorphous MoS2; CdS-Bi/Bi2MoO6-MoS2; Photocatalytic H2 evolution reaction; Quaternary heterostructure; Solid state Z-scheme mechanism; Type-II heterojunction
• ISSN: 0169-4332; 1873-5584
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2021.150601

[Display omitted] •Facile solvothermal method was applied to design quaternary CdS-Bi/Bi2MoO6-MoS2 photocatalytic system.•CdS-Bi/Bi2MoO6-MoS2 quaternary photocatalytic system showed excellent photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity.•The higher photocatalytic activity of CdS-Bi/Bi2MoO6-MoS2 was attributed to the efficient charge carrier’s transfer and separation.•The detailed mechanism of two-way charge transfer channels in CdS-Bi/Bi2MoO6-MoS2 QHNSs have been studied. Solar driven hydrogen (H2) evolution reaction based on transition metal chalcogenides still suffers great challenges, which should realize strong visible light harvesting, photoinduced charge carriers generation and separation and the abundant reactive sites. Here, we report a proficient and scalable single-step growth of Bi/Bi2MoO6-MoS2 ternary heterojunctions on CdS nanorods using ethylene glycol mediated solvothermal growth for the first time and their application in solar energy conversion reactions. The obtained CdS-Bi/Bi2MoO6-MoS2 quaternary heteronanostructures resulted from the integration of multiple components into a single nanoarchitecture, which can precisely offer efficient charge carriers separation via different heterojunctions, enhanced visible light harvesting and suppressed electron-hole recombination. Thus, CdS-Bi/Bi2MoO6-MoS2 shows excellent H2-evolution activity of 2185 μmol/g/h, which is ten and fifteen times greater than CdS and Bi2MoO6 alone respectively. Moreover, CdS-Bi/Bi2MoO6-MoS2 photocatalyst displays good stability and recycle capability, demonstrating a promising photocatalyst for efficient H2 evolution reactions.