Smart Hybridization of Au Coupled CdS Nanorods with Few Layered MoS2 Nanosheets for High Performance Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

Fabrication of core–shell heteronanostructures with excellent optical properties and light induced charge separation effects have recently emerged as promising materials for solar to hydrogen conversion. Here, one-dimensional CdS–Au/MoS2 hierarchical core/shell heteronanostructures (CSHNSs) have been successfully synthesized by a facile two-step hydrothermal method. Such heteronanostructures exhibit high efficiency and excellent stability toward hydrogen production. The introduction of Au nanoparticles on to CdS nanorods not only made a Schottky junction with strong plasmonic absorption enhancement but also directed the growth of few layered MoS2 nanosheets as a hierarchical protective shell around the CdS nanorods. These CdS–Au/MoS2 hybrid structures possess a large number of edge sites in the MoS2 layers which are active sites for hydrogen evolution reaction. As a result, the CdS–Au/MoS2 CSHNSs exhibit outstanding hydrogen evolution performance which is 7 times that of pure CdS nanorods. Also these CdS–...