Irregular spherical rods CdS/Ce-MOF to enhance photocatalytic hydrogen production

• Simple and effective method to fabricate a close-contact heterostructure based on irregular spherical CdS and rod-shaped Ce-MOF. • The optimal composite ratio of the CdS/Ce-MOF photocatalysts had the rate of hydrogen production up to 1456.73 μmol/g/h. • CdS and Ce-MOF effectively enhance the performance of photocatalytic hydrogen production.. The development of renewable and clean energy sources and the reduction of dependence on fossil energy sources can help alleviate the pressure on energy supply. In the research, irregular spherical CdS and rod-shaped Ce-MOF were composited to construct a close-contact heterostructure. The crystal structure, microscopic morphology, surface electronic valence, photoelectric properties and hydrogen production performance of the composite photocatalysts were analyzed. The results showed that the pure Ce-MOF had almost no hydrogen production effect, and the optimal composite ratio of the CdS/Ce-MOF photocatalysts produced hydrogen at a rate of 1456.73 μmol/g/h, which was about 2.63 times higher than that of pure CdS. It is shown that the CdS/Ce-MOF photocatalyst can effectively expand the visible light absorption range, promote charge transfer and carrier separation, and effectively enhance the photocatalytic hydrogen production performance.