Transition
metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have emerged as promising
nonprecious noble-metal-free catalysts for photocatalytic applications.
Among TMDs, MoS2 has been extensively studied as a cocatalyst
due to its exceptional activity for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.
However, the catalytic activity of MoS2 is triggered only
by the active S atoms on its exposed edges, whereas the majority of
S atoms present on the basal plane are catalytically inactive. Doping
of foreign nonmetals into the MoS2 system is an appealing
approach for activation of the basal plane surface as an alternative
for increasing the concentration of catalytically active sites. Herein,
we report the development of earth-abundant, few-layered, boron-doped
MoS2 nanosheets decorated on CdS nanorods (FBMC) employing
simple methods and their use for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution
under solar irradiation, with lactic acid as a hole scavenger, under
optimal conditions. The FBMC material exhibited a high rate of H2 production (196 mmol·h–1·g–1). The presence of few-layered boron-doped MoS2 (FBM) nanosheets on the surface of CdS nanorods effectively
separated the photogenerated charge carriers and improved the surface
shuttling properties for efficient H2 production due to
their extraordinary number of active edge sites with superior electrical
conductivity. In addition, the observed H2 evolution rate
of FBMC was much higher than that for the individual few-layered MoS2-assisted CdS (FMC) and bulk boron-doped MoS2/CdS
(BBMC) photocatalysts. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest
H2 production rate achieved with MoS2-based
CdS photocatalysts for water splitting under solar irradiation. Considering
its low cost and high efficiency, this system has great potential
as a photocatalyst for use in various fields.
This work demonstrates few-layered copper doped MoS2 nanosheets used as efficient cocatalysts on CdS nanorods to achieve ultra-efficient photocatalytic production of H2 under solar light irradiation.
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