Photocatalytic H2 evolution under visible light irradiation on a novel CdxCuyZn1−x−yS catalyst

A novel CdxCuyZn1−x−yS photocatalyst was synthesized by coprecipitation method. The results of UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra showed that the absorption edge of Cd0.1Cu0.01Zn0.89S was at 560 nm with a red shift compared with that of Cd0.1Zn0.9S and Cu0.01Zn0.99S. Cd0.1Cu0.01Zn0.89S photocatalyst showed a high activity for hydrogen evolution under visible light irradiation (λ ⩾ 430 nm) even without cocatalysts such as Pt, and the apparent quantum yield at 420 nm is 9.6%.