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

•Catalysts were synthesized by a facile solvothermal method without any templates.•CdS/Ba1−xSrxTiO3 composites was designed and prepared based on their band structures.•The 40CBST catalyst exhibits excellent photocatalytic activity without loading noble metals.•CdS combined with Ba1−xSrxTiO3 induces to effective charge separation.

This study demonstrates the design and synthesis of heterostructured CdS/Ba1−xSrxTiO3 composites that exhibit outstanding photocatalytic activity and long-term durability for H2 evolution from an aqueous solution containing the sacrificial agent (Na2S/Na2SO3) 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 Ba1−xSrxTiO3. 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 Ba1−xSrxTiO3 for H2 evolution, while Ba1−xSrxTiO3 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 H2 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.

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