Rationally Designed Mn0.2Cd0.8S@CoAl LDH S-Scheme Heterojunction for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

Constructing an efficient and stable heterojunction photocatalyst system is a promising approach to achieve solar-driven water splitting to produce hydrogen. In this work, a novel Mn0.2Cd0.8S@CoAl LDH (MCCA) S-scheme heterojunction was successfully prepared through the efficient coupling of Mn0.2Cd0.8S nanorods and CoAl LDH nanosheets, employing a physical mixing method. The photoluminescence and photocurrent-time response results demonstrated that the internal electric field of the constructed MCCA S-scheme heterojunction could successfully accelerate charge separation and electron transfer between the Mn0.2Cd0.8S interface and the CoAl LDH. Critically, the introduction of the CoAl LDH effectively inhibited the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes, thereby improving the photocatalytic hydrogen production activity of Mn0.2Cd0.8S. A maximum H-2 production of 1177.9 mu mol in 5 h was obtained with MCCA-3. This represents a significant improvement compared to what can be achieved with the pure Mn0.2Cd0.8S nanorods and CoAl LDH nanosheets individually. This work provides a simple and effective approach for the rational design of S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts for photocatalytic hydrogen production.

Automated summary

A novel Mn0.2Cd0.8S@CoAl LDH (MCCA) S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst was successfully constructed by efficiently coupling Mn0.2Cd0.8S nanorods and CoAl LDH nanosheets. The photocurrent-time response results showed that the internal electric field of the MCCA S-scheme heterojunction can accelerate charge separation and electron transfer, effectively inhibiting the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes. A significant improvement in photocatalytic hydrogen production activity was achieved.