Fabrication of direct Z-scheme MoO3/N-MoS2 photocatalyst for synergistically enhanced H2 production

A novel visible-light active MoO3/N-MoS2 heterostructure photocatalyst was fabricated via hydrothermal process. The structure, morphology and optical characteristics were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-visible and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies. The results indicated that loading pf MoO3 and nitrogen doping played main influence role in advancing the morphology and optical characteristics. Upon visible photo-illumination, the MoO3/N-MoS2 sample displayed superior photocatalytic H-2-production activity (118 mu mol h(-1)g(-1)), which was about four-time higher than that of pure MoS2 (30 mu mol h(-1)g(-1)). The enhancement in photocatalytic performance of MoO3/N-MoS2 photocatalyst can be ascribed to the development of direct Z-scheme heterostructure, which promoted the photo-excited electrons/holes transfer and separation. The recycling experiment verified that the MoO3/N-MoS2 photocatalyst had superior cyclic activity and stability, implying promising applications in energy field. (C) 2021 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

A novel visible-light active MoO3/N-MoS2 heterostructure photocatalyst was synthesized through a hydrothermal process, exhibiting superior H2 production activity under visible photo-illumination. The loading of MoO3 and nitrogen doping were found to play a key role in advancing the morphology and optical characteristics, with the enhancement in performance attributed to the formation of a direct Z-scheme heterostructure.