Photodeposition of NiS thin film enhanced the visible light hydrogen evolution performance of CdS nanoflowers.

The use of loaded co-catalysts has been found to be effective in addressing the issue of rapid recombination of photogenerated carriers, which can limit photocatalytic efficiency. Herein, we report on the adsorption of Ni2+ on the surface of CdS by photodeposition to obtain NiS/CdS composites. It improves visible light response while providing abundant active sites for photocatalytic reaction. NiS/CdS exhibits a superior photocatalytic H 2 evolution rate of up to 7557 μmol·g−1·h−1, which is approximately 4.9 times higher than that of CdS. The corresponding AQE is 19.6% at 420 nm. XPS and photoelectrochemical testing provide a possible mechanism, indicating that the heterojunction between NiS and CdS promotes the transfer and separation of interfacial charge, thus accelerating the water decomposition reaction. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of loading two-dimensional thin film co-catalysts to design high-performance and low-cost composites for promoting the photocatalytic reaction. [Display omitted] • NiS film as co-catalyst is able to reduce the overpotential of hydrogen evolution reaction. • The heterojunction accelerates the transfer and separation of photogenerated carriers. • 20NSCS exhibits highly efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity and cycling stability. • A possible mechanism for NiS/CdS composite enhanced photocatalytic activity was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]