Formation of hybrid nanostructures comprising perovskite (Ba₅Nb₄O₁₅)-MoS₂ ultrathin nanosheets on CdS nanorods: Toward enhanced solar-driven H₂ production

Solar-driven semiconductor-catalyzed photocatalytic water splitting is an important and eco-friendly chemical technique for the production of clean hydrogen fuel. However, a cost-effective, efficient photocatalyst with perfect photon-to-hydrogen molecule conversion remains elusive. Novel, noble-metal-free hybrid nanostructures comprising perovskite (Ba₅Nb₄O₁₅)-MoS₂ ultrathin nanosheets on CdS nanorods, with efficient photo-charge separation and migration capability for efficient solar-driven hydrogen production are designed. The nano-hybrid structures display a high hydrogen production rate of 147 mmol·g^–1·h^–1 in the presence of lactic acid as a sacrificial electron donor under simulated solar irradiation; this value is much higher than those of the CdS/MoS₂ (124 mmol·g^–1·h^–1) and CdS/Ba₅Nb₄O₁₅ (18 mmol·g^–1·h^–1) nanostructures and that of the expensive CdS/Pt benchmark catalyst (34.98 mmol·g^–1·h^–1). The apparent quantum yield at 425 nm reaches to 28.2% in 5 h. Furthermore, the rate of solar-driven hydrogen evolution in the presence of the ultrathin perovskite Ba₅Nb₄O₁₅/MoS₂ nanohybrid on the CdS nanorods is much faster than that of several noble-metal-free co-catalyst-modified CdS nanostructures reported earlier. UV–Vis absorption, photoluminescence, photocurrent, and impedance analyses of CdS@Ba₅Nb₄O₁₅/MoS₂ reveal that the high photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate may due to the comparatively higher solar light-harvesting capacity and efficient charge separation and migration, which reduces the recombination rate. We anticipate that the presented design strategy for the development of noble metal-free catalysts combining perovskite and semiconductor nanostructures stimulate the development of diverse non-precious robust solar light-harvesting noble-metal-free materials for water splitting to satisfy the growing global energy demand.