MoS<sub>2</sub>-Stratified CdS-Cu<sub>2-<i>x</i></sub>S Core-Shell Nanorods for Highly Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production.

Liu, Guoning; Kolodziej, Charles; Jin, Rong; Qi, Shaopeng; Lou, Yongbing; Chen, Jinxi; Jiang, Dechen; Zhao, Yixin et al. · ACS Nano · 2020

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Heterojunction photocatalysts are widely adopted for efficient water splitting, but ion migration can seriously threaten the stability of heterojunctions, as with the well-known low stability of CdS-Cu<sub>2-<i>x</i></sub>S due to intrinsic Cu<sup>+</sup> ion migration. Here, we utilize Cu<sup>+</sup> migration to design a stratified CdS-Cu<sub>2-<i>x</i></sub>S/MoS<sub>2</sub> photocatalyst, in which Cu<sup>I</sup>@MoS<sub>2</sub> (Cu<sup>I</sup>-intercalated within the MoS<sub>2</sub> basal plane) is created by Cu<sup>+</sup> migration and intercalation to the adjacent MoS<sub>2</sub> surface. The epitaxial vertical growth of the Cu<sup>I</sup>@MoS<sub>2</sub> nanosheets on the surface of one-dimensional core-shell CdS-Cu<sub>2-<i>x</i></sub>S nanorods forms catalytic and protective layers to simultaneously enhance catalytic activity and stability. Charge transfer is verified by kinetics measurements with femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy and direct mapping of the surface charge distribution with a scanning ion conductance microscope. This design strategy demonstrates the potential of utilizing hybridized surface layers as effective catalytic and protective interfaces for photocatalytic hydrogen production.