Controlled synthesis of CdS nanoparticles and their surface loading with MoS2 for hydrogen evolution under visible light

Spherical CdS nanoparticles with uniform diameter of 150 nm and good dispersity are prepared through the hydrothermal process with cadmium acetate and thiourea as precursors and cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide as structure promoter. Shape and size of the CdS particles are strongly dependent on the stirring time in the pretreatment of the reactants before the hydrothermal process, and the growth mechanism is proposed. MoS2-CdS composites are successfully synthesized by loading MoS2 on the as-prepared CdS via the second hydrothermal process. The formation of MoS2 on CdS is investigated through varying the reaction time in the second hydrothermal step. The MoS2-CdS photocatalyst shows an optimal H-2 evolution rate of 5.24 mmol h(-1) g(-1) for water splitting under visible light in the presence of lactic acid as sacrificial agent. This study provides a simple way to prepare uniform CdS nanoparticles and CdS based visible-light-responded composite photocatalysts. (C) 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.