Enhancement of photocatalytic H2 evolution on ZnIn2S4 loaded with in-situ photo-deposited MoS2 under visible light irradiation

A new MoS2/ZnIn2S4 photocatalyst system has been designed for H-2 evolution under visible light irradiation (lambda > 420 nm), which was obtained by hydrothermal method to afford floriated ZnIn2S4 microspheres, and MoS2 co-catalyst was subsequently loaded onto the ZnIn2S4 surface via a facile in-situ photo-assisted deposition process. The effects of hydrothermal temperature, the In/Zn molar ratios on the crystal structure, morphology, optical property as well as photocatalytic activity have been investigated in detail. Especially, the loading amount and deposition method of the MoS2 co-catalyst are found to dramatically influence the photocatalytic activity of H-2 evolution. Up to 8.047 mmol h(-1) g(-1) of H-2 evolution rate has been achieved, 28 times higher than that of untreated ZnIn2S4. This work provides a new synthetic way to increase the photocatalytic activity of MoS2/ZnIn(2)S4. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.