Construction of 1D/3D Co9S8/Mn0.3Cd0.7S Schottky heterojunction for dramatically boosted photocatalytic H2 evolution performance

One of the most crucial strategies for transforming solar energy into sustainable hydrogen energy is photocatalytic H2 evolution, and constructing an effective and durable photocatalyst remains a difficult task. Herein, a 1D/3D Co9S8/Mn0.3Cd0.7S Schottky heterojunctions were successfully fabricated by three-step hydrothermal procedure, in which 3D Mn0.3Cd0.7S solid solution particles were immobilized on the 1D tube-like Co9S8 surface, allowing for extremely effective charge separation and transfer. Through coupling Co9S8 with Mn0.3Cd0.7S, the photocatalytic H2 evolution activity and stability were significantly boosted. The 7 % Co9S8/Mn0.3Cd0.7S heterojunction possessed the highest photocatalytic activity with the H2 evolution rate of 1586.4 μmol⋅h−1, which was 3.73 times larger than that of pristine Mn0.3Cd0.7S, corresponding to 21.8 % apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) at 420 nm monochromatic light. The Schottky heterojunction mechanism between Co9S8 and Mn0.3Cd0.7S could plausibly explain the enhanced photocatalytic H2 evolution performance, according to density functional theory (DFT) calculations and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) measurements. This investigation would offer the useful insights to develop Co9S8 cocatalyst for application in photocatalytic H2 evolution.