Highly Efficient Photocatalysts: Polyoxometalate Synthons Enable Tailored CdS–MoS₂ Morphologies and Enhanced H₂ Evolution

Abstract

The development of photocatalysts toward highly efficient H 2 evolution reactions is a feasible strategy to achieve the effective conversion of solar energy and meet the increasing demand for new energy. To this end, we prepared two different CdS–MoS 2 photocatalysts with unique morphologies ranging from hexagonal prisms to tetragonal nanotubes by carefully tuning polyoxometalate synthons. These two photocatalysts, namely, CdS–MoS 2 -1 and CdS–MoS 2 -2, both exhibited remarkable photocatalytic efficiency in H 2 generation, among which CdS–MoS 2 -2 showed superior performance. In fact, the best catalytic hydrogen desorption rate of CdS–MoS 2 -2 is as high as 1815.5 μmol g –1 h –1 . Such performance is superior to twice that of single CdS and almost four times that of pure MoS 2 . This obvious enhancement can be accredited to the highly open nanotube morphology and highly dispersed heterometallic composition of CdS–MoS 2 -2, which represents an excellent example of the highest noble-metal-free H 2 evolution photocatalysts reported so far. Taken together, these findings suggest that the development of highly dispersed heterometallic catalysts is an auspicious route to realize highly efficient conversion of solar energy and that CdS–MoS 2 -2 represents a major advance in this field.