Strong electron coupling effect of non-precious metal Schottky junctions enhanced square meter level photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Photocatalytic hydrogen production technology utilizes solar energy to decompose water into hydrogen, helping to alleviate the pressure of energy depletion. Engineering of non-precious metal nanomaterials as cocatalysts can play a significant role in low-cost, sustainable, and large-scale photocatalytic hydrogen production. Herein, MnCdS-Vs/NiCo2S4 (MCSN) Schottky junction nanomaterials with strong electron coupling effect were prepared by a two-step hydrothermal method and successfully applied to a square meter hydrogen evolution device. The optimized MCSN material demonstrated high hydrogen evolution activity of 34.28 mmol g−1 h−1, which is 9.34 and 685.60 times higher than that of pure MnCdS-Vs and NiCo2S4, respectively. More importantly, in a square meter (1 m2) flat-plate reactor, MCSN produced H2 evolution approximately 201 mmol in 5 h, showcasing its potential for large-scale applications. In-situ XPS and DFT calculations demonstrated that MnCdS-Vs interacts with NiCo2S4 to produce a strong electron coupling effect and form a Schottky junction. It promotes the facilitated the directional migration of photogenerated electrons from MnCdS-Vs to NiCo2S4, but also effectively suppressed electron backflow through the Schottky barrier. Furthermore, the abundance of sulfur vacancies enhanced visible light absorption capability, further improving photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance. This work delves into the role of defect engineering and Schottky junction design in enhancing photocatalytic performance, providing new insights into transitioning photocatalytic hydrogen production technologies from small-scale laboratory experiments to large-scale practical applications.