Two dimensional metal-organic frameworks-derived leaf-like Co4S3/CdS composite for enhancing photocatalytic water evolution

The possible charge transfers schematic diagram of the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction in Co4S3/CdS composites. [Display omitted] The two dimensional (2D) lamellar structure materials with micron length of lateral can offer abundant reactive sites, high surface area and high flexibility for separating the photo-induced electron-hole pairs, and the obtained nanosheets possess tremendous potential to achieve efficient photocatalytic performance. Herein, we design and successfully synthesize 2D MOF-derived leaf-like structured Co4S3 decorated with CdS photocatalyst by a facile method, which possesses a lateral size of 3–6 μm with the thickness of 130–160 nm. The maximum optical absorption wavelength of Co4S3/CdS extends remarkably from 570 nm to 720 nm in visible light region compared with pure CdS nanospheres, demonstrating that the Co4S3/CdS hybrid material has higher solar energy utilization efficiency. Benefited from the structural advantages and the improvement of the absorption region, the optimized Co4S3/CdS (0.2) exhibits superior hydrogen production performance, and the amount of H2 reaches 5892.6 μmol h−1 g−1 under continuous visible-light illumination. Notably, the result manifests over 6 times greater than the neat CdS nanoparticles. Above all, this work provides a remarkable stepping stone in rationally constructing 2D MOF-based composite materials for sustainable energy sources applied in the field of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.