Construction of NH2-MIL-125(Ti)/CdS Z-scheme heterojunction for efficient photocatalytic H2 evolution

Designing efficient semiconductor-based photocatalysts for hydrogen production is a challenging but promising prospect in energy conversion. Herein, a novel Z-scheme CdS/NH2-MIL-125(Ti) heterojunction is successfully fabricated through a facile solvethermal method. The detailed characterizations reveal that CdS nanoparticles are in-suit archored on NH2-MIL-125(Ti) nanoplates. Benefited from the intrinsic band alignment and intimate contact of two species, this established structure gives a positive effect regarding charge separation. In consequence, the optimal CdS/NH2-MIL-125(Ti) nanocomposites exhibit excellent photocatalytic performance with hydrogen evolution rate of 6.62 mmol·h−1·g−1 under visible light illumination, which was 3.5 times higher than that of the pristine CdS. We believe that this work will provide a new avenue to develop high-efficiency heterojunction catalyst for solar-driven energy conversions and other application.