In situ decoration of ZnS nanoparticles with Ti3C2 MXene nanosheets for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

Seeking highly-efficient and cost-effective photocatalyst remains key to boosting photocatalytic H2 evolution activity. Herein we have designed an innovative, non-heavy-metal-based hybrid photocatalyst via in-situ decoration of ZnS nanoparticles with Ti3C2 MXene nanosheets toward enhanced photocatalytic H2 production. The incorporation of Ti3C2 essentially promotes the charge transfer and extends the lifetime of photo-induced carriers, thereby resulting in an augmented H2 production yield of 502.6 μmol g-1 h-1 under optimal conditions, being almost 4-fold higher than pure ZnS (124.6 μmol g-1 h-1). Thus, this work has demonstrated ZnS/MXene photocatalytic as a promising candidate for hydrogen generation to boost the entire clean energy system and provided a new insight into further broadening the water splitting application of MXene-based materials.