Visible light responsive photocatalytic hydrogen evolution using MoS2 incorporated ZnO

In this article, we prepared efficient ZnO@MoS2 composites through hydrothermal and solvothermal method for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The structural, morphological, surface area and optical properties were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET), UV-visible (UV-vis) absorption and Photoluminescence (PL) emission spectroscopy. The incorporating effect of MoS2 on the photocatalytic performance of ZnO photocatalyst has been studied. The PL emission spectra of prepared composites elucidate that recombination of electron/hole pairs is greatly suppressed owing to the incorporation of MoS2 sheet-like nanostructures. The composite sample (3wt % of MoS2 in ZnO) showed the excellent photocatalytic efficiency when compared to pure photocatalyst. The considerable increase in the efficiency of nanocomposites may be accredited to extended absorption region, favorable band structure, and effective separation of charge carriers, large surface area and the reactive active sites provided by layered structure of MoS2. This study demonstrates that prepared composites could be promising and efficient photocatalysts for the evolution of hydrogen through water-splitting under visible light illumination.