Facile band alignment of C3N4/CdS/MoS2 sandwich hybrid for efficient charge separation and high photochemical performance under visible-light.

C 3 N 4 is a promising visible-light-driven photocatalyst with superior chemical stability and photostability. The intrinsic problem associated with its use is that recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs slows down the industrial process. We designed novel C 3 N 4 /CdS/MoS 2 sandwich hybrids to increase the carrier utilization efficiency according to well-matched band alignment. The smart arrangement of C 3 N 4 -CdS-MoS 2 led to step-by-step electron/hole pair separation. Meanwhile, the conductive layer MoS 2 supported the easy surface transfer of electrons. The higher coefficient of separation and transfer results in a more effective reduction of electron/hole pair recombination compared to previous work. The Rhodamine B (RhB) photodegradation rate constant for the hybrids is considerably enhanced compared to pure C 3 N 4 , from 0.0309 to 0.0533 min−1. The strategy of loading separation/transfer bifunctional cocatalysts can be widely used to maximize the solar utilization efficiency of other photocatalysts. Unlabelled Image • A novel ternary C 3 N 4 /CdS/MoS 2 sandwich structure has been designed and synthesized. • The visible light driven degradation of RhB over C 3 N 4 /CdS/MoS 2 was studied. • The step-by-step charge transfer mechanism on C 3 N 4 /CdS/MoS 2 was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]