Hollow MoS2-supported MAPbI3 composites for effective photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Metal halide perovskites represented by methylamine lead iodine (MAPbI(3)) have attracted extensive attention for their excellent performance in the field of photoelectric catalysis. However, the catalytic performance of MAPbI(3) is limited due to the severe recombination of electrons and holes. Here, we synthesized hollow MoS2 (H-MoS2) microspheres by the template method and then supported it on the surface of MAPbI(3) by electrostatic coupling to obtain H-MoS2/MAPbI(3) composites, which showed excellent performance in photocatalytic hydrogen production. Among them, the 15% H-MoS2/MAPbI(3) composite showed the highest photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance, which was 399 mu mol h(-1), about 260 times that of MAPbI(3) (1.53 mu mol h(-1)). The long-term cycling experiments showed that the H-MoS2/MAPbI(3) composite retains its activity for at least 16 h. The excellent performance of H-MoS2/MAPbI(3) composites was attributed to the efficient shunting of photogenerated electrons and holes by H-MoS2 as a cocatalyst. The results of our study provided a reference for the construction of MAPbI(3)-based composite heterostructures for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production.

Automated summary

In this study, hollow MoS2 microspheres were synthesized and supported on the surface of MAPbI(3) to construct H-MoS2/MAPbI(3) composite materials, which exhibited excellent photocatalytic hydrogen production performance. The efficient separation of photogenerated electrons and holes by H-MoS2 as a cocatalyst was the key factor for the superior performance of H-MoS2/MAPbI(3) composites.