Enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production of CdS embedded in cationic hydrogel

In this study, we describe the successful fabrication of CdS in ionic hydrogels by an in situ growth method and demonstrate that the as-prepared CdS in hydrogels (CdS/HGel) can be used as cost-effective and recyclable catalysts for photocatalytic hydrogen generation. The structure and morphology of CdS/HGels were characterized by various techniques including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The resultant CdS in cationic hydrogel (CdS/HGel_PDAM2) showed the best performance of photocatalytic hydrogen production and the hydrogen production rate was up to 10.35 or 7.70 mmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹ when triethanolamine or Na₂S–Na₂SO₃ was used as sacrificial agent. However, CdS in anionic hydrogel (CdS/HGel_PAAM) showed poor photocatalytic hydrogen production performance under the same conditions. The solution pH and sacrificial agent type are also indispensable factors that affect the photocatalytic hydrogen production. The enhancement of hydrogen production comes from interaction between polymer chains and Cd²⁺, high dispersibility of CaS nanoparticles in hydrogels, high hydrophilic and swelling ability of hydrogel, high diffusion rate of reactant in hydrogel, and inhibited binding possibility of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Since CdS/HGel_PDAM has excellent hydrogen production efficiency and ease recovery property, it will be a potential photocatalyst for photocatalytic reactions.     

Efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution on amorphous MoSx-modified CdS/KTaO3 heterojunctions under visible light irradiation

Constructing heterostructures with efficient charge separation is a promising route to improve photocatalytic hydrogen production. In this paper, MoS_x/CdS/KTaO₃ ternary heterojunction photocatalysts were successfully prepared by a two-step method (hydrothermal method and photo deposition method), which improved the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity. The results show that the rate of hydrogen evolution for the optimized photocatalyst is 2.697 mmol g^?1·h^?1under visible light, which is 17 times and 2.6 times of the original CdS (0.159 mmol g^?1 h^?1) and the optimal CdS/KTaO₃(1.033 mmol g^?1 h^?1), respectively, and the ternary photocatalyst also shows good stability. The improvement on photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance can be attributed to the formation of heterojunction between the prepared composite materials, which effectively promotes the separation and migration of photo-generated carriers. Amorphous MoS_x acts as an electron trap to capture photogenerated electrons, providing active sites for proton reduction. This provides beneficial enlightenment for hydrogen production by efficiently utilizing sunlight to decompose water.     

Efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution with high-crystallinity and noble metal-free red phosphorus-CdS nanorods

The photocatalytic production of H₂ by low-cost semiconductors is a promising approach to store solar energy. Photocatalysts with heterojunctions convert visible light into H₂ faster because of more efficient charge separation. The morphology, the structure, and the crystallinity are additional factors to consider when developing a photocatalyst. Here, highly-crystalline CdS nanorod (NR) were synthesized by a facile one-pot process. Under visible light, pure CdS NR produced H₂ 2.1 times faster than conventional CdS nanoparticles (NP). CdS NR were then combined with the semiconductor red phosphorus (RPh). A CdS NR-based heterojunction photocatalyst with RPh_5% had an excellent photocatalytic H₂ evolution rate of 11.72 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹, which was 3.6 times higher than pure CdS NR. The apparent quantum efficiency of RPh_5%/CdS NR was 19.57%. Furthermore, RPh_5%/CdS NR exhibited a superior photogenerated charge separation efficiency and was stable with little photocorrosion compared to CdS NP showing the high potential of this heterojunction photocatalyst.     

Photocatalytic performance and mechanism of hydrogen evolution from water over ZnCdS/Co@CoO in sacrificial agent-free system

Photocatalytic efficient hydrogen evolution from pure water with non-noble metal system has more practical application value. In this study, the ZnCdS/Co@CoO composite photocatalyst was prepared by a simple hydrothermal reduction method. The hydrogen evolution rate from water can reach to 793 μmol·g^?1·h^?1 in sacrificial agent-free system, and 5445 μmol·g^?1·h^?1 with Na₂S and Na₂SO₃ as sacrificial agent. The S-scheme heterojunction formed between ZnCdS and Co@CoO, as well as the abundant S vacancy were proved to be the key factors to effectively improve the photocatalytic performance. The study on the high hydrogen production efficiency and catalytic mechanism of ZnCdS/Co@CoO in sacrificial agent-free can provide ideas for the design and preparation of more efficient non-noble metal photocatalysts.     

Noble-metal-free CdS@MoS2 core-shell nanoheterostructures for efficient and stabilized visible-light-driven H2 generation

Photocatalytic water splitting is considered to be a green H₂ generation approach and has potential to be applied in the future. As a photocatalytic active material for H₂ evolution, CdS is a good candidate. However, the pristine CdS still suffers from low efficiency and poor stability. To address those issues, we developed noble-metal-free CdS@MoS₂ core-shell nanoheterostructures which exhibit outstanding photocatalytic H₂ evolution performance thus far with rate of 62.55 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹, which exceeds that of pristine CdS by a factor of 148. Meanwhile, the photocatalytic stability can be well retained with no deterioration of activity in 24 h reaction. The excellent performance can be reasonably attributed to the low crystallinity of MoS₂ with numerous active sites provided, and the band alignment of CdS and MoS₂ as determined by valence band-XPS and Mott-Schottky plots analysis, which significantly promotes charge transportation and separation. The enhanced photocatalytic stability here should be ascribed to the intimate growth of MoS₂ shells which significantly passivate the surface trap states of CdS cores and thus the photocorrosion is remarkably retarded. This novel strategy will inspire the fabrication of other photocatalytic systems, and may high-efficient photocatalysts be obtained.     

In2Se3/CdS nanocomposites as high efficiency photocatalysts for hydrogen production under visible light irradiation

Hydrogen energy is an important clean energy. Using visible light to produce hydrogen by semiconductor photocatalysts is one of the current research hotspots. In this work, In₂Se₃/CdS nanocomposite photocatalysts with different mass content of CdS are prepared. The In₂Se₃/CdS photocatalyst with 85.25% CdS mass content exhibits the optimal photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity (1.632 mmol g^?1 h^?1), which is much higher than that of CdS (0.715 mmol g^?1 h^?1) and In₂Se₃ (trace). Moreover, the In₂Se₃/CdS photocatalyst still maintains a high hydrogen evolution rate after five cycles. The high photocatalytic activity and stability of the In₂Se₃/CdS nanocomposite is due to the formation of heterojunction between In₂Se₃ and CdS. The existence of heterojunction is confirmed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy image and X-ray photoelectron spectra. Theoretical calculations and experimental results indicate that the electron transfer route at the heterojunction is step-scheme. The step-scheme helps the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes, and maximize the hydrogen evolution activity. This work provides a high efficiency step-scheme photocatalyst for hydrogen production.     

Highly efficient white-LED-light-driven photocatalytic hydrogen production using highly crystalline ZnFe2O4/MoS2 nanocomposites

Designing efficient photocatalytic systems for hydrogen evolution is extremely important from the viewpoint of the energy crisis. Highly crystalline heterostructure catalysts have been established, considering their interface electric field effect and structural features, which can help improve their photocatalytic hydrogen-production activity. In this study, we fabricated a highly crystalline heterojunction consisting of ZnFe₂O₄ nanobricks anchored onto 2D molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nanosheets (i.e., ZnFe₂O₄/MoS₂) via a hydrothermal approach. The optimized ZnFe₂O₄/MoS₂ photocatalyst, with a ZnFe₂O₄ content of 7.5 wt%, exhibited a high hydrogen-production rate of 142.1 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹, which was 10.3 times greater than that for the pristine ZnFe₂O₄ under identical conditions. The photoelectrochemical results revealed that the ZnFe₂O₄/MoS₂ heterojunction considerably diminished the recombination of electrons and holes and promoted efficient charge transfer. Subsequently, the plausible Z-scheme mechanism for photocatalytic hydrogen production under white-LED light irradiation was discussed. Additionally, the influence of cocatalysts on the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution for the ZnFe₂O₄/MoS₂ heterostructure was investigated. This work has demonstrated a simplified coupling of one-dimensional or zero-dimensional structures with 2D nanosheets for improving the photocatalytic hydrogen production activity as well as confirmed that MoS₂ is a viable substitute for precious metal-free photocatalysis.     

Noble metal free efficient photocatalytic hydrogen generation by TaON/CdS semiconductor nanocomposites under natural sunlight

Tantalum oxynitride have narrow band gap and its band potentials are suitable for visible light induced hydrogen generation. However, due to fast electron-hole recombination, the efficiency of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction is very low. Herein, we have synthesized semiconductor heterojunction photocatalyst, i.e., TaON/CdS with suitable band positions by a simple precipitation method. Ratio between two semiconductors is optimized to obtain maximum hydrogen evolution. XRD, XPS and TEM analysis demonstrate the formation of heterojunction between these semiconductors. Among the synthesized catalysts, 3% TaON/CdS heterostructure exhibits the highest hydrogen evolution activity with H₂ production rate of 7.5 mmol h⁻¹ under natural solar light, whereas the rate is 11 mmol h⁻¹ under the visible light generated by xenon (Xe) lamp without the addition of any noble metal as the co-catalyst. The CdS and 3% TaON/CdS nanomaterials show an AQE of 5.1% and 12.2%, respectively. Combination of Mott-Schottky, UPS and DR UV–visible spectroscopy studies revealed the formation of S scheme semiconductor heterojunction between these nanomaterials with valence, conduction band positions, i.e., 1.46, −0.78 eV for CdS and 2.19, −0.66 eV for TaON, respectively. These band positions help in efficient e-h pair separation to produce hydrogen from water.     

Highly exposed (001) facets Ni(OH)2 induced formation of nickle phosphide over cadmium sulfide nanorods for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

An efficient Ni₂P–CdS photocatalyst for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution was synthesized by phosphorizing β-Ni(OH)₂ nanosheet with exposed (001) facets on CdS nanorods. The obtained Ni₂P–CdS composite displays an outstanding and stable photocatalytic hydrogen generation rate of 68.47 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ in 10 vol% lactic acid under visible light irradiation, more than 17 times higher than that for pure CdS nanorods. The transient photocurrent response, EIS measurement, Mott-Schottky plots, acidic LSV measurement, and PL spectra have proved that Ni₂P loading can significantly improve the separation of photo-excited electron-hole pairs in CdS nanorods and enhance the hydrogen evolution capability for CdS. These improvements are achieved by features of Ni₂P such as the high capability of trapping photo-generated electrons from CdS, lifting the total Fermi level and lowering the hydrogen evolution overpotential of the composite. The results show that β-Ni(OH)₂ precursor with a high exposure degree of (001) facet is contributed to the epitaxial formation of (001)-facet-exposed Ni₂P co-catalyst on CdS nanorods, resulting in that the Fermi level and the hydrogen evolution overpotential of the composite can be further lifted and lowered. This study has provided a novel precursor-derived route to fabricate high-performance co-catalysts with highly exposed active facets on CdS nanorods for effective photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.     

Surface oxygen vacancy facilitated Z-scheme MoS2/Bi2O3 heterojunction for enhanced visible-light driven photocatalysis-pollutant degradation and hydrogen production

An oxygen-vacancy rich, bismuth oxide (Bi₂O₃) based MoS₂/Bi₂O₃ Z-scheme heterojunction catalyst (2-BO-MS) was prepared in an autoclave hydrothermal method using ethanol and water. The performance of MoS₂/Bi₂O₃ catalyst was examined for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, photoelectrochemical activity, and crystal violet (CV) dye degradation by comparing with pristine Bi₂O₃ and MoS₂. The hydrogen evolution performances of 2-BO-MS catalyst exhibited 3075.21 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹, which is 7.18 times higher than that of MoS₂ (428.14 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹). The XPS, XRD and HRTEM analyses covered that the superior photocatalytic performance of 2-BO-MS catalyst might have stemmed out due to the existence of oxygen vacancies, enhanced strong interfacial interaction between MoS₂ and Bi₂O₃ and specific surface area. The in-depth investigation has been performed for MoS₂/Bi₂O₃ Z-scheme heterojunction using several characterization techniques. Moreover, the photocatalytic mechanism for hydrogen evolution and photodegradation were proposed based on trapping experiment results. This results acquired using MoS₂/Bi₂O₃ Z-scheme heterojunction would be stepping stone for developing heterojunction catalyst towards attaining outstanding photocatalytic activity.     

Highly efficient Bi2O3/MoS2 p-n heterojunction photocatalyst for H2 evolution from water splitting

The design of p-n heterojunction photocatalysts to overcome the drawbacks of low photocatalytic activity that results from the recombination of charge carriers and narrow photo-response range is promising technique for future energy. Here, we demonstrate the facile hydrothermal synthesis for the preparation of Bi₂O₃/MoS₂ p-n heterojunction photocatalysts with tunable loading amount of Bi₂O₃ (0–15 wt%). The structure, surface morphology, composition and optical properties of heterostructures were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–visible absorption spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, photoluminescence (PL), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Compare to pure Bi₂O₃ and MoS_2, the Bi₂O₃/MoS₂ heterostructures displayed significantly superior performance for photocatalytic hydrogen (H₂) production using visible photo-irradiation. The maximum performance for hydrogen evolution was achieved over Bi₂O₃/MoS₂ photocatalyst (10 μmol h⁻¹g⁻¹) with Bi₂O₃ content of 11 wt%, which was approximately ten times higher than pure Bi₂O₃ (1.1 μmol h⁻¹g⁻¹) and MoS₂ (1.2 μmol h⁻¹g⁻¹) photocatalyst. The superior performance was attributed to the robust light harvesting ability, enhanced charge carrier separation via gradual charge transferred pathway. Moreover, the increased efficiency of Bi₂O₃/MoS₂ heterostructure photocatalyst is discussed through proposed mechanism based on observed performance, band gap and band position calculations, PL and EIS data.     

Sustainable and stable hydrogen production over petal-shaped CdS/FeS2 S-scheme heterojunction by photocatalytic water splitting

One-dimensional CdS nanorods have garnered interest because of their highly visible light response, narrow bandgap, and negative potential at the conduction band edge, which are suitable for proton reduction. However, their poor charge separation and surface photocorrosion remain unresolved. In this study, CdS was synthesized with a 3D dendrite-like morphology to reduce its surface instability and junctioned with inexpensive FeS₂ particles to extend the absorption region toward visible light and improve its photoactivity. The photocurrent density was increased 8.3 times, and the photoluminescence reduced by half in petal-shaped CdS/15% FeS₂ compared with pure CdS. The petal-shaped CdS/15% FeS₂ heterojunction catalyst exhibited significantly enhanced photostability and photocatalytic activity; when 10% lactic acid was used as a hole scavenger, the hydrogen generation rate was 22.91 mL g^?1 for 10 h in pure CdS particles and 107.56 mL g^?1 in the petal-shaped CdS/15% FeS₂ particles. Moreover, the amount of hydrogen generated was maintained until 8th recycling experiments. The Cd and S ions eluted via photocorrosion were not detected after the reaction was complete. This was attributed to the petal-shaped CdS/FeS₂ heterojunction system which protected the unstable CdS surface owing to its controlled morphology. The FeS₂ junction improved visible light absorption facilitating the separation of photogenerated charges.     

Structure characteristics of CdS/H1.9K0.3La0.5Bi0.1Ta2O7 and photocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution under visible light

Visible-light-driven CdS/HKLBT photocatalyst was prepared by ion exchange of Cd²⁺ in aqueous Cd(CH₃COO)₂ solutions, then by sulfurization in aqueous N₂H₈S solutions. The characterization by XRD, SEM, HRTEM and XRS revealed that CdS nanoparticles exist both on the surface and in the interlayer of HKLBT. The composite CdS/HKLBT showed higher photocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution (504.2 μmol/h) than that of pure CdS (187.3 μmol/h), even than that of 0.5 wt%Pt/CdS (496.0 μmol/h) under visible light (λ > 400 nm) in the presence of lactic acid as sacrificial reagent. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity is attributed to the strong contact between CdS and HKLBT in CdS/HKLBT as well as the effective separation of photogenerated carrier in CdS through electron rapid injection into CB of HKLBT.     

MoS2/CdS nanosheet-on-nanorod: An efficient photocatalyst for H2 generation from lactic acid decomposition

The CdS shows high selectivity on H₂ for photocatalytic lactic acid decomposition. However, the low efficiency caused by ultrafast charge recombination was not well addressed. Herein, MoS₂/CdS nanoheterostructure with intimate contact interface was synthesized in-situ and used as an efficient photocatalyst for H₂ generation. The optimum H₂ generation rate of MoS₂/CdS is 45.20 mmol g^?1 h^?1 which significantly boosts the activity of CdS (0.27 mmol g^?1 h^?1) by more than 167 folds. Band alignment of MoS₂ and CdS promoting charge transfer and separation contributes to the enhanced catalytic activity, which was well verified by multiple characterization approaches.     

Self-defective ZnS mediated charge transfer for bran-new inter-step mode with boosted photoactivity and enhanced photostability

The appropriate interfacial contact and charges transfer mode of heterojunction photocatalysts were critical for high-efficiency hydrogen production. Inter-step mode heterojunction composite had advantages of enhanced visible-light response, improved charge space separation rate, increased electron utilization, which could also protect catalyst anode from photocorrosion. Zinc-vacancy-rich ZnS decorated CdS heterojunction photocatalyst with inter-step mode was constructed in order to fundamentally enhance photocatalytic performance and overcome photocorrosion of CdS. The charge transfer mode was modulated from pervasive type-II to bran-new inter-step mode by defect engineering. Zinc vacancies functioned as acceptor level for charge separation and up-shifted conduction and valance band energy of ZnS. The defective engineered CdS/ZnS heterojunction displayed a reduced over-potential and enhanced photocatalytic activity. The optimal photocatalytic hydrogen production rate for CdS/ZnS reached 42.1 mmol?g^?1 under visible light without any co-catalyst. An apparent quantum yield (AQY) of 38.75% at 450 nm was achieved, which was 269.3 and 71.9 times higher than pristine zinc-vacancy-rich ZnS and CdS, respectively. Meanwhile, holes aggregated on the surface of CdS were blocked and the oxidation corrosion process was suppressed. The charge transfer mechanism and kinetics of charge transfer and separation in inter-step mode heterojunction photocatalysts were investigated and discussed. This work will accelerate practical applications of photocatalysis with inter-step mode and give deep insights into understanding how inherent acceptor levels play a role in designing defect-engineered semiconductor with enhanced photocatalytic performance.     

Fabrication of CdS/Zn2GeO4 heterojunction with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic H2 evolution activity

CdS/Zn₂GeO₄ (CG) composites were synthesized through the simple hydrothermal process. The crystal structure, morphology and light absorption property of the products were studied in detail. The CG composites showed excellent photocatalytic hydrogen production performance upon visible light illumination. Especially, the CG-3 composite displayed the highest H₂ evolution rate of 1719.8 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹, which was about 3.80 and 4.28 times higher than the pure CdS and Zn₂GeO₄. Besides, the cyclic stability of the CG-3 composite was also excellent. The PL, photocurrent response and EIS spectra results testified that the efficient separation and transfer of photoinduced charge carriers achieved between CdS and Zn₂GeO₄, which could result in the promotion of photocatalytic performance. Moreover, a possible mechanism of H₂ generation over CdS/Zn₂GeO₄ heterojunction was discussed. The practicable way to construct heterojunction composites would be helpful for the design of other systems with excellent photocatalytic property.     

Enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution over semi-crystalline tungsten phosphide

Increasing the separation efficiency and transfer rate of photogenerated charges is the dominant factor for improving photocatalytic activity. Herein, we successfully prepared semi-crystalline WP (SC-WP) with good optical properties and as a cocatalyst to modify CdS nanorods (CdS NRs) to construct SC-WP/CdS (PD) composite catalyst by simple electrostatic self-assembly method for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. Two high-efficiency and stable photocatalytic hydrogen evolution systems were constructed with 1.0 M ammonium sulfite solution and 10 vol% lactic acid solution as sacrificial agents, respectively. Surprisingly, the maximum photocatalytic H₂ production rate of 15446.21 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹ is obtained over 10PD composite, which is 10.58 times greater than that of pure CdS. The improved photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the fact that the SC-WP nanoparticles provides a large number of exposed active sites on the surface of CdS for hydrogen evolution reaction, which can efficiently capture photogenerated electrons from CdS nanorods and promotes the transport and separation of light-induced charges. And the introduction of SC-WP nanoparticles with excellent optical properties can efficiently improve the visible light absorption range and the utilization rate of the absorbed light of the PD composite. In addition, the SC-WP nanoparticles show semi-crystalline state, which is also conducive to enhancing the photocatalytic activity.     

Fabrication of 1D/2D CdS/CoSx direct Z-scheme photocatalyst with enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance

In this work, we fabricate a 1D/2D heterojunction photocatalyst composed of n-type CdS nanorods and p-type CoS_x nanoflake. This photocatalyst achieves a hydrogen evolution rate of 9.47 mmol g^?1 h^?1, which is 13.7 times higher than that of pure CdS nanorods. Scanning Kelvin Probe, Mott-Schottky plots, UV–Vis absorption spectra and surface photocarrier orienting reaction results indicate that the enhanced photocatalytic performance of CdS/CoS_x is owing to the fabrication of direct Z-Scheme heterojunction system which greatly improves the utilization, migration and separation rate of photo-generated carriers. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first time to describe a CdS/CoS_x direct Z-scheme system with 1D/2D nanostructure, which can expedite the transfer process of photogenerated carriers with strong redox energy to participate in photocatalytic reactions.     

Construction of porous Ni2P cocatalyst and its promotion effect on photocatalytic H2 production reaction and CO2 reduction

Due to superior light absorption abilities, porous materials are suitable to be served in photocatalytic reactions. In this study, porous Ni₂P is target-constructed from porous Ni(OH)₂ nanoflower. Promotion effect of the porous Ni₂P as cocatalyst is confirmed on photocatalytic performance of Ni₂P/CdS composite. The constructed porous Ni₂P/CdS photocatalyst shows much higher photocatalytic H₂ evolution rate (111.3 mmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹) from water and much higher CO (178.0 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹) and CH₄ (61.2 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹) evolution rates from CO₂ reduction than non-porous Ni₂P/CdS photocatalyst. Characterizations including UV-Vis diffuse reflectance, photoluminescence, transient photocurrent response, electrochemical impedance and electron paramagnetic resonance are conducted to verify the role of porous Ni₂P cocatalyst. The slow photon effect derived from porous structure Ni₂P is found to improve light path and increase the absorption utilization of light. The enhanced photocurrent intensity and the lowered resistance of porous Ni₂P/CdS due to the formed heterojunctions indicate much rapid isolation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and rapid charge transfer of electrons. The higher signal of ⋅O₂- radicals is detected in porous Ni₂P/CdS than non-porous Ni₂P/CdS, which result in the remarkable photocatalyst activities of porous Ni₂P/CdS. Reaction mechanisms over Ni₂P/CdS photocatalyst are illustrated with a Z-scheme charge transfer path.     

Promoted charge separation on 3D interconnected Ti3C2/MoS2/CdS composite for enhanced photocatalytic H2 production

The construction of heterojunction has been regarded as an effective way to promote photocatalytic H₂ evolution activity, in which an intimately interfacial contact between the materials forming heterojunction is a positive effect on enhancing activity. Herein, a ternary 3D interconnected nanocomposite Ti₃C₂/MoS₂/CdS was synthesized by a hydrothermal method. MoS₂ nanosheet with a vertically aligned structure grew on the surface of multi-layered Ti₃C₂ to form 3D Ti₃C₂/MoS₂ with tightly interfacial contact, which works as a cocatalyst for enhancing photocatalytic H₂ evolution. CdS as a photocatalyst covered the surface of Ti₃C₂/MoS₂ to absorb light energy. Benefitting to the synergistic effect between Ti₃C₂ and MoS₂, the Ti₃C₂/MoS₂ further accelerates electron transfer and inhibits the recombination of carriers. The H₂ evolution rate of Ti₃C₂/MoS₂/CdS reaches 15.2 mmol h^?1 g^?1 and the apparent quantum yield is 42.1% at λ = 420 nm. The result provides a useful insight for developing cocatalysts with new nanostructures via controlled interfacial engineering.