EnhancedPhotocatalytic H₂ Evolution Performanceof the CdLa₂S₄ Photocatalyst via the Sulfur-RichNiS_1+<i>x</i> Cocatalyst

Photocatalytic hydrogen production, as a green and pollution-free technology, can use solar energy to decompose water into clean energy H₂. However, the high charge separation efficiency is still a great challenge for photocatalysts. Herein, we design and synthesize sulfur-rich CdLa₂S₄ (CdLa₂S_4+<i>x</i>) and then obtain the CdLa₂S_4+<i>x</i>/NiS_1+<i>x</i> catalyst by a photodeposition strategy, which is used for photocatalytic H₂ production. The H₂ production rate of the optimized CdLa₂S_4+<i>x</i>/NiS_1+<i>x</i> photocatalyst is 7753.3 μmol·g^–1·h^–1, which is 51.8 and 5.9 times those of CdLa₂S₄ and CdLa₂S_4+<i>x</i>, respectively. The abundant unsaturated S sites on the sulfur-rich NiS_1+<i>x</i> cocatalyst promote photogenerated electron transfer and improve the adsorption capacity of H⁺. This work offers a new idea for the rational construction of sulfide heterojunction photocatalysis and the application of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.