Noble metal-free NiCo nanoparticles supported on montmorillonite/MoS2 heterostructure as an efficient UV–visible light-driven photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution

Abstract

In this study, a noble-metal-free photocatalyst, based on NiCo nanoparticles supported on montmorillonite/MoS2 heterostructure (MMT/MoS2/NiCo), was successfully synthesized and applied for photocatalytic water reduction to produce H2. Under UV–visible light irradiation, the composite showed improved photocatalytic performance for H2 evolution compared to MMT/MoS2, MMT/MoS2/Ni, MMT/NiCo, and MoS2/NiCo. The as-synthesized MMT/0.79MoS2/Ni8.14Co6.4 (0.79, 8.14 and 6.4 denote the weight ratios % of MoS2, Ni and Co in the catalyst) photocatalyst exhibited a high H2 production rate of 8.7 mmol g−1 h−1, 26.5 and 2.3 times higher than for MMT/0.79MoS2 and MMT/Ni8.14Co6.4, respectively. The enhanced photocatalytic performance was attributed to the loaded MoS2 and NiCo nanoparticles, introducing active sites, increasing the light-absorbing capacity and accelerating the charge transfer from the Eosin Y dye owing to their appropriate Fermi level energy alignment. This work presents a cost-effective method combining the 2D sheets of MMT and MoS2, and NiCo nanoparticles to form a quaternary photocatalytic system showing highly efficient hydrogen evolution from water without using noble metals.