p–n Heterojunction Photocatalyst Mn(0.5)Cd(0.5)S/CuCo(2)S(4) for Highly Efficient Visible Light-Driven H(2) Production

[Image: see text] It is highly important to develop efficient and cheap photocatalysts for hydrogen production. Herein, a series of p–n heterojunction Mn(0.5)Cd(0.5)S/CuCo(2)S(4) has been successfully synthesized for the first time by the hydrothermal impregnation method. Mn(0.5)Cd(0.5)S/CuCo(2)S(4) loading with 12 wt % CuCo(2)S(4) shows the highest H(2) evolution rate of 15.74 mmol h(–1) g(–1) under visible light (λ ≥ 420 nm) irradiation, which is about 3.15 and 15.28 times higher than that of bare Mn(0.5)Cd(0.5)S (4.99 mmol h(–1) g(–1)) and CuCo(2)S(4) (1.03 mmol h(–1) g(–1)), respectively. In addition, it shows a relatively good stability during the five recycle tests, with about 20% loss of reaction rate compared to that of the first cycle. The superior photocatalytic performance is attributed to the effective separation and transfer of photogenerated charge carriers because of the formation of the p–n junction. The samples are systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, photoluminescence, EIS, and so on. UV–vis and EIS show that CuCo(2)S(4) can effectively improve the visible light response of Mn(0.5)Cd(0.5)S/CuCo(2)S(4) and promote the electron transfer from CuCo(2)S(4) to the conduction band of Mn(0.5)Cd(0.5)S, so as to improve the photocatalytic efficiency. This study reveals that the p–n heterojunction Mn(0.5)Cd(0.5)S/CuCo(2)S(4) is a promising photocatalyst to explore the photocatalysts without noble metals.