Mixed-dimensional 1D CdS/2D MoSe2 heterostructures for high-performance photocatalytic hydrogen production

Rationally designing heterojunction photocatalysts with well-defined nanostructures and intimate interfacial contact is highly significant for improving the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity. Here, we report on the fabrication of one-dimensional (1D) CdS/two-dimensional (2D) MoSe2 heterostructure for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production. It is revealed that layered MoSe2 nanosheets are randomly anchored on CdS nanorods via an in-situ solvothermal process. When the loading content was kept at 10 wt%, the mix-dimensional nanohybrids exhibited a highly improved hydrogen-evolving rate up to 25.8 mmol g(-1) h(-1), which is 4 times higher than that of pristine CdS nanorods. The apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of the optimized hybrid catalyst CM-10 is determined to be around 30% at 420 nm. The enhancement of photocatalytic HER activity can be attributed to the synergistic effect between 1D CdS nanorods and 2D MoSe2 nanosheets, which enables the accelerated electron-hole separation and more efficient interfacial charge transport. The findings in this study imply that, through morphology control and interfacial engineering, the efficiency and long-term stability of heterojunction photocatalysts toward hydrogen production from water splitting can be effectively tuned, providing new insights into the development of robust and high-performance visible light photocatalysts.

Automated summary

Rationally designing heterojunction photocatalysts with well-defined nanostructures and intimate interfacial contact significantly improves the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity. The 1D CdS/2D MoSe2 heterostructure exhibited an enhanced hydrogen-evolving rate of 25.8 mmol g(-1) h(-1) with an apparent quantum efficiency of 30% at 420 nm, attributed to the synergistic effect between the CdS nanorods and MoSe2 nanosheets in accelerating electron-hole separation and interfacial charge transport. This study suggests that morphology control and interfacial engineering can effectively tune the efficiency and long-term stability of heterojunction photocatalysts for hydrogen production, providing insights for robust high-performance visible light photocatalysts.