Non-noble metal ultrathin MoS2 nanosheets modified Mn0.2Cd0.8S heterostructures for efficient photocatalytic H2 evolution with visible light irradiation

A series of non-noble metal ultrathin MoS 2 nanosheets modified Mn 0.2 Cd 0.8 S heterostructured composites were prepared by an ultrasonic assisted hydrothermal synthesis process. Comparing with the pristine Mn 0.2 Cd 0.8 S composite, the obtained ultrathin MoS 2 /Mn 0.2 Cd 0.8 S composites exhibited a significantly improved photocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution from water with visible light response. The optimized photocatalytic activity toward MoS 2 /Mn 0.2 Cd 0.8 S composite is around 8 times of the pristine Mn 0.2 Cd 0.8 S composite. Moreover, the ultrathin MoS 2 /Mn 0.2 Cd 0.8 S composites displayed good photocatalytic stability in the course of photochemical reaction . The excellent photocatalytic activity of the ultrathin MoS 2 /Mn 0.2 Cd 0.8 S composites might be attributed to the formed heterojunctions in composites itself and the sufficient active edge sites in MoS 2 phase. A possible photocatalytic mechanism was tentatively proposed. Considering its excellent photocatalytic activity and good photochemical stability, the obtained ultrathin MoS 2 /Mn 0.2 Cd 0.8 S composite has potential application in photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from water by using solar energy.