A Metal–Organic-Framework-Derived (Zn_0.95Cu_0.05)_0.6Cd_0.4S Solid Solution as Efficient Photocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Photocatalytic water splitting taking the advantage of using solar energy directly is one of the most effective strategies for hydrogen evolution. The development of facile methods for synthesizing highly efficient and stable photocatalysts for hydrogen production still remains a great challenge. Herein, a metal–organic framework (MOF)-templated strategy was designed for the synthesis of solid solutions of (Zn0.95Cu0.05)1–xCdxS that exhibit outstanding photocatalytic hydrogen production reaction activity. More importantly, efficient light capturing ability and photogenerated charges separation were accomplished via fine-tuning the composition of the photocatalysts by adjusting the concentrations of doping metals in the template MOFs. Under visible light (λ > 420 nm), an optimized nanocatalyst, (Zn0.95Cu0.05)0.6Cd0.4S, exhibited a higher durability and satisfied photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of 4150.1 μmol g–1 h–1 of water splitting.