Design and fabrication of hollow structured Cu2MoS4/ZnIn2S4 nanocubes with significant enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance

The unique architecture is very significant for photocatalysts to achieve high photocatalytic efficiency. Herein, hollow Cu2MoS4/ZnIn2S4 heterostructural nanocubes with intimate-contact interface have been prepared for the first time via a self-template way, which can promote the photocatalysis hydrogen evolution. First, novel hollow structured Cu2MoS4 nanocubes were successfully synthesized using Cu2O as a precursor, then the ZnIn2S4 nanosheets were in-situ grew on the surface of hollow Cu2MoS4 nanocubes. The unique hollow heterostructures have markedly enhanced photocatalytic efficiency, and 15 wt% Cu2MoS4/ZnIn2S4 sample exhibits the highest hydrogen production rate of 8103 μmol·h−1·g−1, which is approximately four times higher than pure ZnIn2S4. The improved photocatalytic performance is mainly attributed to the following two points: (1) the hollow nanocube structure can provide rich active sites and increase light absorption; (2) forming a built-in electric field is conducive to transfer the holes generated by ZnIn2S4 to Cu2MoS4, which can effectively promote charge separation. This work may provide insights for the design of hollow architecture cage materials for high photocatalytic performance.