In situ photodeposition of nickel oxides on CdS for highly efficient hydrogen production via visible-light-driven photocatalysis

•Low-cost Ni2O3/CdS was prepared by a simple in situ photodeposition method.•Ni2O3 could act as electron traps and facilitate the charge separation.•Ni2O3/CdS showed high H2-production activity even higher than the one loaded with Pt.

Low-cost photocatalysts of CdS combined with nickel oxides were prepared by a simple in situ photodeposition method. The activity of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under visible-light (λ > 400 nm) on CdS was enhanced significantly by loading nickel oxides, and reached to the maximum rate of 445.6 μmol h− 1, being about 41 times and 1.9 times of the H2 evolution on pure CdS and CdS loaded with 1.5 wt.% Pt, respectively. The characterizations of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometer indicated that the nickel oxides were loaded on CdS particles in the formation of Ni2O3 species, which acted as electron traps and facilitated the charge separation.

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