Simple preparation of amorphous nickel boride/Mn0.5Cd0.5S composite and its high-efficient photocatalytic performance for hydrogen production

In this paper, amorphous NiB-modified Mn0.5Cd0.5S (NBMCS) was facilely prepared by a simple stirred method. The results showed that NBMCS possesses better light absorption ability, better separation capability of photo -generated carriers, lower overpotential and stronger reduction capacity. When NBMCS was applied for splitting water to H2, it was found that the hydrogen precipitation rate was 195 times higher than bare Mn0.5Cd0.5S and 4.6 times higher than 1 % Pt/ Mn0.5Cd0.5S, and it showed good stability. Therefore, an inexpensive and effective cocatalyst replaced Pt was shown, which might be diffusely used in the solar energy conversion field.

Automated summary

In this work, amorphous NiB-modified Mn0.5Cd0.5S (NBMCS) was prepared using a simple stirred method. The NBMCS material exhibited enhanced light absorption ability, better separation of photo-generated carriers, lower overpotential, and stronger reduction capacity. When used for water splitting to produce H2, NBMCS showed a significantly higher hydrogen precipitation rate compared to bare Mn0.5Cd0.5S and 1% Pt/Mn0.5Cd0.5S, while maintaining good stability. Therefore, this inexpensive and effective cocatalyst has the potential to be widely utilized in the field of solar energy conversion.