In situ photodeposition of MoSx on CdS nanorods as a highly efficient cocatalyst for photocatalytic hydrogen production

MoSx was successfully loaded on hexagonal CdS nanorods as a cocatalyst for the photocatalytic H2 evolution reaction (HER) by a convenient in situ photodeposition method with (NH4)2MoS4 as a precursor. The route is more effective to improve the activity of CdS than the conventional deposition methods. The optimal loading amount of MoSx was determined to be 0.2% (wt%, calculated in terms of MoS2) and the activity of the resulting sample is even higher than that of 0.2% Pt/CdS prepared by a similar photodeposition procedure. An intimate junction in the form of the Cd–S–Mo bond was suggested to account for the high HER performance. This finding opens a new avenue for the deposition and application of sulfide-based cocatalysts which have a great potential to replace noble metal cocatalysts for the photocatalytic HER.