High-performance heterostructured CdS/Ba1−xSrxTiO3 system with unique synergism for photocatalytic H2 evolution

Abstract This study demonstrates the design and synthesis of heterostructured CdS/Ba 1− x Sr x TiO 3 composites that exhibit outstanding photocatalytic activity and long-term durability for H 2 evolution from an aqueous solution containing the sacrificial agent (Na 2 S/Na 2 SO 3 ) without loading any noble metals as cocatalysts or reagents for regeneration. The excellent performance of this heterostructured catalyst is due to the unique synergetic effect between CdS and Ba 1− x Sr x TiO 3 . In this system, CdS not only functions as a high-activity photocatalyst absorbing light to generate electrons but also acts as a cocatalyst accepting the photogenerated electrons from Ba 1− x Sr x TiO 3 for H 2 evolution, while Ba 1− x Sr x TiO 3 serves as captors of photoholes of CdS. In this way, the heterostructured composites can efficiently block the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes, leading to a significant improved harvest of photogenerated electrons for H 2 evolution. In the meantime, the photocorrosion of CdS can be greatly alleviated due to fast moving photogenerated holes of CdS, contributing a long-term stability of the designed heterostructured system.