CHEN Fang1，GUOJiayu1，LIHao1，WEIYuxue1， HEDong2，ZHANG Ping3，
ZHANG Chenghua1，SUN Song1
1.College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering， Anhui University， Hefei 230601， China；
2.Wuhu Saibao Information Industry Technology Research Institute Co.， Ltd.， Wuhu 241003， China；
3.Anhui Tanxin Technology Co.， Ltd.， Huaibei 235141， China
Abstract
Objective A comparison is conducted on the effects of two distinct synthesis methods—hydrothermal and photodeposition—on the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance of MoS2-loaded CdS-based composites. Based on this， the structure-performance relationships among microstructure， interfacial interactions， and visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance of the synthesized composites are thoroughly analyzed. The research provides a data foundation for the rational design of efficient photocatalytic materials for hydrogen production.
Methods Using CdS as the substrate and MoS2 as the co-catalyst， composite materials MoS2-CdS-H and MoS2-CdS-P were synthesized via hydrothermal and photodeposition methods， respectively. All samples （MoS2-CdS-H， MoS2-CdS-P， CdS， and MoS2） were characterized for their chemical composition， interfacial electronic structure， microstructure， mesoporous structure， specific surface area， and pore size distribution. Their optical properties and hydrogen evolution performance were analyzed. Cyclic stability tests were conducted to elucidate the intrinsic mechanisms responsible for photoinduced charge separation and transport in the composite materials exhibiting optimal hydrogen production performance.
Results and Discussion Compared to MoS2-CdS-P， CdS， and MoS2， the MoS2-CdS-H exhibited higher crystallinity， stronger interfacial interactions， distinct folded-edge structures， a larger specific surface area， higher pore volume， and a moderate mesoporous structure. These microstructural advantages provided abundant potential active sites for photocatalytic reactions， increased the interfacial contact area between CdS and MoS2， and facilitated the formation of multidimensional electron transport channels. MoS2-CdS-H demonstrated stronger visible-light absorption， indicating a synergistic effect of the CdS-MoS2 composites in enhancing light absorption efficiency， which contributed to its improved photocatalytic activity. In the Na2S-Na2SO3 solution system， MoS2-CdS-H achieved the highest photocatalytic hydrogen evolution amount of 1 509.88 µmol and maintained excellent hydrogen evolution activity even after four cycles， meeting the fundamental durability requirements for catalysts in engineering applications. The MoS2-CdS-H composite exhibited the strongest transient photocurrent response， with a maximum photocurrent density of 3.1 µA/cm2. It also demonstrated the highest curvature in the relationship curve between the imaginary and real parts of its impedance， indicating lower impedance values. The enhanced interfacial effect between MoS2 and CdS promoted efficient separation and migration of photogenerated electron-hole pairs， accelerating the surface kinetics of the hydrogen evolution reaction. This interfacial effect is the key factor driving the performance enhancement.
Conclusion The hydrothermal method enables the uniform loading and strong binding of ultrathin MoS2 nanosheets on the CdS surface， creating effective interfacial contact. This significantly improves the separation and migration efficiency of photogenerated carriers and accelerates the kinetics of the surface hydrogen evolution reaction. Additionally， the three-dimensional assembly strategy offers a universal reference for enhancing the performance of other conventional semiconductor photocatalytic systems.
Keywords： MoS2-loaded CdS-based composite material； hydrothermal method； photodeposition method； interfacial interaction； photocatalytic hydrogen evolution
Get Citation: CHEN Fang， GUO Jiayu， LI Hao， et al. Visible light-driven photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance of MoS2-loaded CdS-based composite materials［J］. China Powder Science and Technology， 2026， 32（3）： 1-12.
Received：2025-07-29， Revised:2025-11-12，Online: 2025-12-06。
Funding： The research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 22179001), the Distinguished Young Research Project of Anhui Higher Education Institution (Grant No. 2022AH020007), the University Synergy Innovation Program of Anhui Province (Grant No. GXXT-2023-009), the Natural Science Foundation of Higher Education Institutions of Anhui Province (Grant No. 2023AH050114), and the Anhui Postdoctoral Research Project (Grant No. 2024C893).
DOI：10.13732/j.issn.1008-5548.2026.03.014
CLC No: O643；TB4 Type Code: A
Serial No:1008-5548（2026）03-0001-12
