Construction of in-situ core-shell Cu2-xS@Mn0.3Cd0.7S S-scheme heterojunction with efficient photocatalytic H2 evolution

Improving the stability and electron-hole separation efficiency of semiconductor photocatalysts has always been a hot topic in the field of catalysis. In the present study, a novel Cu 2-x S@Mn 0.3 Cd 0.7 S (Cu 2-x S@MCS) core-shell heterojunction has been constructed by the in-situ traditional hydrothermal reaction on the basis of hollow Cu 2-x S nanocubes. The optimized Cu 2-x S@MCS-2 photocatalyst with expanded light absorption exhibits excellent stability and a higher hydrogen evolution rate of 42.43 mmol g −1  h −1 , which is 2.3 times and more than 1400 times contrasting to the pure Mn 0.3 Cd 0.7 S and Cu 2-x S, respectively. Multiple characterizations and structure analysis revealed that the Cu 2-x S@MCS heterojunction possesses outstanding charge separation efficiency and a wider specific surface area which can provide abundant active sites. Furthermore, the mechanism of photocatalytic H 2 evolution for Cu 2-x S@Mn 0.3 Cd 0.7 S S-scheme heterojunction is also proposed. This work thus provides a favorable strategy to inhibit the photogenerated charge carrier recombination and drive highly efficient photocatalytic hydrogen generation by synthesizing photocatalyst with in situ core-shell structures.