Construction of in-situ core-shell Cu2-xS@Mn0.3Cd0.7S S-scheme heterojunction with efficient photocatalytic H2 evolution

Improving the stability and electron-hole separation efficiency of semiconductor photocatalysts has always been a hot topic in the field of catalysis. In the present study, a novel Cu2-xS@Mn0.3Cd0.7S (Cu2-xS@MCS) core-shell heterojunction has been constructed by the in-situ traditional hydrothermal reaction on the basis of hollow Cu2-xS nanocubes. The optimized Cu2-xS@MCS-2 photocatalyst with expanded light absorption exhibits excellent stability and a higher hydrogen evolution rate of 42.43 mmol g-1 h-1, which is 2.3 times and more than 1400 times contrasting to the pure Mn0.3Cd0.7S and Cu2-xS, respectively. Multiple characterizations and structure analysis revealed that the Cu2-xS@MCS heterojunction possesses outstanding charge separation efficiency and a wider specific surface area which can provide abundant active sites. Furthermore, the mechanism of photo-catalytic H2 evolution for Cu2-xS@Mn0.3Cd0.7S S-scheme heterojunction is also proposed. This work thus provides a favorable strategy to inhibit the photogenerated charge carrier recombination and drive highly efficient photocatalytic hydrogen generation by synthesizing photocatalyst with in situ core-shell structures.