SrS/CdS composite powder as a novel photocatalyst for hydrogen production under visible light irradiation

In this paper a novel SrS/CdS composite powders were prepared by coprecipitation method. The physicochemical properties of the photocatalysts were analyzed by XRD, UV–Vis, BET, PL and SEM. Photocatalytic hydrogen production results showed that these composite powders can work efficiently under visible light without loading noble metal, and it was found that the ratio of SrS/CdS equaling to 2/8 has the best performance among various SrS/CdS composite powders, and the hydrogen evolution rate amounted to 123 μmol/h under visible light irradiation. The apparent quantum yield for this photocalyst was calculated to be 2.85%, 4.59%, 9.63% at 420 nm, 440 nm and 480 nm respectively, and the apparent quantum yield under visible light was 5.83%. The reason for its high activity was analyzed.