Photodeposition of molybdenum sulfide on MTiO3 (M: Ba, Sr) perovskites for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution using by semiconductor materials have been studied effectively by converting solar energy into the chemical energy. Perovskite-based materials have been widely used as semiconductor catalysts for the photocatalytic hydrogen production. Herein, molybdenum sulfide photodeposited onto MTiO3 (M: Ba, Sr) perovskites (MTiO3/MoSx) have been investigated on the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under solar light irradiation in the presence of triethanolamine (TEOA) and eosin Y (EY) as an electron donor and photosensitizer, respectively. Compared to pristine MTiO3, BaTiO3/MoSx and SrTiO3/MoSx show a remarkable improvement in the hydrogen production efficiency and stability. Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activities found in the order of SrTiO3/MoSx > BaTiO3/MoSx > MoSx > SrTiO3 > BaTiO3. In addition, photocatalytic hydrogen activity of SrTiO3/Pt was evaluated for comparison with SrTiO3/MoSx under the same conditions and SrTiO3/MoSx produced higher hydrogen activity than SrTiO3/Pt due to the high active sites created by MoSx on the catalyst surface which is originated from Mo-S and S-S bonds.

Automated summary

Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution using semiconductor materials to convert solar energy into chemical energy has been effectively studied. Perovskite-based materials have been widely used as semiconductor catalysts for this purpose. In this study, molybdenum sulfide photodeposited onto MTiO3 (M: Ba, Sr) perovskites (MTiO3/MoSx) was investigated for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under solar light irradiation in the presence of triethanolamine and eosin Y. The results showed that BaTiO3/MoSx and SrTiO3/MoSx exhibited significant improvement in hydrogen production efficiency and stability compared to pristine MTiO3. The photocatalytic hydrogen activity followed the order of SrTiO3/MoSx > BaTiO3/MoSx > MoSx > SrTiO3 > BaTiO3. Additionally, SrTiO3/MoSx demonstrated higher hydrogen activity than SrTiO3/Pt due to the presence of active sites created by MoSx on the catalyst surface.