Noble-metal-free MoS2/Ta3N5 heterostructure photocatalyst for hydrogen generation

A noble-metal-free heterostructure composed of Ta 3 N 5 nanosheets and MoS 2 co-catalyst was developed as an efficient photocatalyst for hydrogen production. In special, the MoS 2 /Ta 3 N 5 heterostructure with 5.2 wt% of MoS 2 exhibits a H 2 generation rate of 119.4 µmol h −1 g −1 , which is comparable to that of Ta 3 N 5 nanosheets with Pt as co-catalyst. The efficient H 2 generation for MoS 2 /Ta 3 N 5 heterostructure is resulted from the short diffusion distance of photo-excited charge carriers in Ta 3 N 5 nanosheets, efficient transfer of electrons from Ta 3 N 5 nanosheets to MoS 2 surface, and reduced overpotential for water reduction. Furthermore, the stability of the MoS 2 /Ta 3 N 5 heterostructured photocatalysts are evaluated for the photocatalytic H 2 generation.