Self-assembly of Molybdenum Disulfide on Sodium Alginate for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

In this study, an environmentally friendly sodium alginate biopolymer matrix was used to enhance the catalytic performance and reaction stability of a low-cost crystalline molybdenum disulfide catalyst. The sodium alginate/MoS2 composite was obtained via in-situ self-assembly method due to the physical interaction between the biopolymer and the catalyst under a photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction. XPS analysis performed before the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reactions. FT-IR, SEM and EDX analysis performed before and after the photocatalytic reaction to confirm sodium alginate/MoS2 structure. In-situ self-assembly of the MoS2 catalyst onto sodium alginate was observed to increase hydrogen production by ∼9-fold compared to the pure MoS2 catalyst. In this case, the sodium alginate biopolymer provides an adsorption surface for the catalyst, increasing the active surface area and decreasing the recombination rate of electron and holes, result in increasing photocatalytic hydrogen production. This study is expected to provide a new perspective on catalytic H2 production studies.