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Gold (Au) nanoclustersare promising photocatalysts for biomedicine, sensing, and environmental remediation. However, the short carrier lifetime, inherent instability, and unclear charge transfer mechanism hinder their application. Herein, the Au nanoclusters decorated with three different isomers of o-Aminophenol, m-Aminophenol, and p-Aminophenol are synthesized, namely o-Au, m-Au, and p-Au, which achieve efficient hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) photoproduction through two-step one-electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The interfacial kinetics for the photocatalytic process in this system are investigated in detail, in which, the isomer-effects of aminophenol decorated in Au nanoclusters are definitely elucidated by combining transient photovoltage (TPV), transient potential scanning (TPS), and photo-induced current (TPC) tests. The reaction pathway of o-Au, m-Au, and p-Au is confirmed to be the same through TPC. Although the conduction band values of o-Au, m-Au, and p-Au are essentially the same under working conditions, the values of surface effective charges (n e ) for both m-Au and p-Au are higher than that of o-Au. In addition, m-Au has a stronger adsorption capacity for O 2 and a faster ORR rate. Thus, the m-Au manifests the highest photocatalytic activity for the H 2 O 2 photoproduction. This work shows a new way for the in-situ study on charge distribution and transfer on photocatalysts., (© 2025 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

To modulate nonlinear optical (NLO) effects of crystalline material holds great application potential in the photoelectronic and optical fields. Organic configurationally-locked polyene represents an exciting NLO family with large second harmonic generation (SHG) effects, whereas it is a huge blank to switch and modulate their NLO property through external stimuli. For the first time, here present unusual thermo-enhanced SHG activities are presented in a polyene-based NLO compound, 2-{3-[2-(4-pyrrolidinphenyl)vinyl]-5,5-dimethylcyclohex-2-enylidene}malononitrile (1), giving a record-high magnitude of SHG enhancement up to ≈170% during its isomorphic phase transition. Theoretical analysis discloses this behavior stems from the reduced degree of torsion in the π-conjugated structures in 1, as verified by dihedral angles between its pyrrolidine and phenyl planes. As the first study on thermo-enhanced SHG properties of organic crystals, this work affords a new avenue of modulating physical properties to fabricate high-performance photoelectronic and optical devices., (© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Ferroelectric materials commonly serve as gate insulators in typical field-effect transistors, where their polarization reversal enables effective modulation of the conductivity state of the channel material, thereby realizing non-volatile memory. Currently, novel 2D ferroelectrics unlock new prospects in next-generation electronics and neuromorphic computation. However, the advancement of these materials is impeded by limited selectivity and narrow memory windows. Here, new concepts of 2D ferroelectric perovskite/MoS 2 channel heterostructures field-effect transistors are presented, in which 2D ferroelectric perovskite features customizable band structure, few-layered ferroelectricity, and submillimeter-size monolayer wafers. Further studies reveal that these devices exhibit unique charge polarity modulation (from n- to p-type channel) and remarkable nonvolatile memory behavior, especially record-wide hysteresis windows up to 177 V, which enables efficient imitation of biological synapses and achieves high recognition accuracy for electrocardiogram patterns. This result provides a device paradigm for future nonvolatile memory and artificial synaptic applications., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Polar molecular crystals hold a promise for controlling bulk physical properties originated in their unique switchable polarity via structural transformation. However, the mechanisms for switching polarization are mainly limited to displacive and disorder-order phase transitions, which rarely involve the reconstruction of chemical bonds. Here, we have switched and tuned electric polarization in a bimetallic halide, (Neopentylammonium) 4 AgBiBr 8 (1), as verified by light-excited pyroelectric effect. Most notably, its Ag-Br coordination bonds show a zipper-like dynamic switching behavior from the 'locked' to 'unlocked' state, namely, reconstruction of chemical bonds. Coupling with the dynamic ordering of organic cations, this bond-switching transition makes a contribution to switchable polarization of 1. As expected, its polarity creates pyroelectric effect for self-driven X-ray detection with high sensitivity (3.8×10 3  μC Gy -1  cm -2 ) and low limit of detection (4.8 nGy s -1 ). This work on the bond-switching mechanism provides an avenue to design polar molecular candidate for smart optoelectronic devices., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Inverted inorganic perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is potential as the top cells in tandem configurations, owing to the ideal bandgap, good thermal and light stability of inorganic perovskites. However, challenges such as mismatch of energy levels between charge transport layer and perovskite, significant non-radiative recombination caused by surface defects, and poor water stability have led to the urgent need for further improvement in the performance of inverted inorganic PSCs. Herein, the fabrication of efficient and stable CsPbI 3-x Br x PSCs through surface treatment of (3-mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane (MPTS), is reported. The silane groups in MPTS can in situ crosslink in the presence of moisture to build a 3-dimensional (3D) network by Si-O-Si bonds, which forms a hydrophobic layer on perovskite surface to inhibit water invasion. Additionally, -SH can strongly interact with the undercoordinated Pb 2+ at the perovskite surface, effectively minimizing interfacial charge recombination. Consequently, the efficiency of the inverted inorganic PSCs improves dramatically from 19.0% to 21.0% under 100 mW cm -2 illumination with MPTS treatment. Remarkably, perovskite films with crosslinked MPTS exhibit superior stability when soaking in water. The optimized PSC maintains 91% of its initial efficiency after aging 1000 h in ambient atmosphere, and 86% in 800 h of operational stability testing., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

2D organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites (OIHPs) have become one of the hottest research topics due to their excellent environmental stability and unique optoelectronic properties. Recently, the ferroelectricity and thermochromism of 2D OIHPs have attracted increasing interests. Integrating ferroelectricity and thermochromism into perovskites can significantly promote the development of multichannel intelligent devices. Here, a novel 2D Dion-Jacobson OIHP of the formula (3AMP)PbI 4 (where 3AMP is 3-(aminomethyl)pyridinium) is reported, which has a remarkable spontaneous polarization value (Ps) of 15.6 µC cm -2 and interesting thermochromism. As far it is known, such a large Ps value is the highest for 2D OIHPs recorded so far. These findings will inspire further exploration and application of multifunctional perovskites., (© 2023 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Metal-free molecular antiferroelectric (AFE) holds a promise for energy storage on account of its unique physical attributes. However, it is challenging to explore high-curie temperature (T c ) molecular AFEs, due to the lack of design strategies regarding the rise of phase transition energy barriers. By renewing the halogen substitution strategy, we have obtained a series of high-T c molecular AFEs of the halogen-substituted phenethylammonium bromides (x-PEAB, x=H/F/Cl/Br), resembling the binary stator-rotator system. Strikingly, the p-site halogen substitution of PEA + cationic rotators raises their phase transition energy barrier and greatly enhances T c up to ~473 K for Br-PEAB, on par with the record-high T c values for molecular AFEs. As a typical case, the member 4-fluorophenethylammonium bromide (F-PEAB) shows notable AFE properties, including high T c (~374 K) and large electric polarization (~3.2 μC/cm 2 ). Further, F-PEAB also exhibits a high energy storage efficiency (η) of 83.6 % even around T c , catching up with other AFE oxides. This renewing halogen substitution strategy in the molecular AFE system provides an effective way to design high-T c AFEs for energy storage devices., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Recently, boron (B)/nitrogen (N)-embedded polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), characterized by multiple resonances (MR), have attracted significant attention owing to their remarkable features of efficient narrowband emissions with small full width at half maxima (FWHMs). However, developing ultra-narrowband pure-green emitters that comply with the Broadcast Service Television 2020 (BT2020) standard remains challenging. Precise regulation of the MR distribution regions allows simultaneously achieving the emission maximum, FWHM value, and spectral shape that satisfy the BT2020 standard. The proof-of-concept molecule TPABO-DICz exhibited ultrapure green emission with a dominant peak at 515 nm, an extremely small FWHM of 17 nm, and Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.17, 0.76). The corresponding bottom-emitting organic light-emitting diode (OLED) exhibited a remarkably high CIEy value (0.74) and maximum external quantum efficiency (25.8 %). Notably, the top-emitting OLED achieved nearly BT2020 green color (CIE: 0.14, 0.79) and exhibited a state-of-the-art maximum current efficiency of 226.4 cd A -1 , thus fully confirming the effectiveness of the above strategy., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Photorefractive effect of ferroelectrics refers to the light-induced change of refractive index, which is an optical controlling avenue in holographic storage and image processing. For most ferroelectrics, however, the small photorefractive effect (10 -5 -10 -4 ) hinders their practical application and it is urgent to exploit new photorefractive system. Here, for the first time, strong photorefractive effects are achieved in a 2D metal-halide ferroelectric, [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 3 NH 3 ] 2 (CH 3 NH 3 )Pb 2 Cl 7 (1), showing large spontaneous polarization (≈4.1 µC cm -2 ) and wide optical bandgap (≈3.20 eV). Notably, under light irradiation, 1 enables a large variation of refractive indices up to ≈ 1× 10 -3 , being one order higher than the existing materials and comparable to the state-of-the-art inorganic ferroelectrics. This intriguing photorefractive behavior involves with the sharp variation of polarization caused by photo-pyroelectricity. As the first report of 2D metal-halide photorefractive ferroelectric, this work sheds light on optical controlling of physical properties in electric-ordered materials., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Ferroelectric photovoltaics driven by spontaneous polarization (P s ) holds a promise for creating the next-generation optoelectronics, spintronics and non-volatile memories. However, photoactive ferroelectrics are quite scarce in single homogeneous phase, owing to the severe P s fatigue caused by leakage current of photoexcited carriers. Here, through combining inorganic and organic components as building blocks, we constructed a series of ferroelectric semiconductors of 2D hybrid perovskites, (HA) 2 (MA) n-1 Pb n Br 3n+1 (n=1-5; HA=hexylamine and MA=methylamine). It is intriguing that their Curie temperatures are greatly enhanced by reducing the thickness of inorganic frameworks from MAPbBr 3 (n=∞, T c =239 K) to n=2 (T c =310 K, ΔT=71 K). Especially, on account of the coupling of room-temperature ferroelectricity (P s ≈1.5 μC/cm 2 ) and photoconductivity, n=3 crystal wafer was integrated as channel field effect transistor that shows excellent a large short-circuit photocurrent ≈19.74 μA/cm 2 . Such giant photocurrents can be modulated through manipulating gate voltage in a wide range (±60 V), exhibiting gate-tunable memory behaviors of three current states ("-1/0/1" states). We believe that this work sheds light on further exploration of ferroelectric materials toward new non-volatile memory devices., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Metal halide inorganic perovskites show excellent thermal stability compared to organic-inorganic perovskites. However, the performance of inorganic perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is far from theoretical values, together with unsatisfactory stability, mainly due to the poor interfacial properties. In this work, a facial but effective method is reported to realize high-performance inorganic PSCs by post-modifying the perovskite surface with 2-thiophene ethylamine (TEA). It is found that amine group from TEA can favorably interact with the undercoordinated Pb 2+ via Lewis acid-based coordination, while thiophene ring with electron-rich sulfur assists such interaction by functioning as an electron donor. The synergetic interaction allows TEA to passivate perovskite film defects more efficiently, as compared to phenethylamine (PEA) with less electron-donating ability. Moreover, perovskite valence band is slightly upward shift to match with hole transport material and facilitate hole transfer. These combinations result in a reduced non-radiative charge recombination and improved charge carrier lifetime. Consequently, PSCs with TEA modification shows a drastic improvement of V OC by 54 mV, yielding a champion PCE of 21.3%, much higher than the control PSCs (19.3%), along with improved ambient stability. This work demonstrates that surface modifier with an electron-rich moiety is critical for achieving efficient and stable inorganic PSCs., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

2D Dion-Jacobson (DJ) phase hybrid perovskites have shown great promise in the photoelectronic field owing to their outstanding optoelectronic performance and superior structural rigidity. However, DJ phase lead-free double perovskites are still a virgin land with direct X-ray detection. Herein, we have designed and synthesized a new DJ phase lead-free layered double perovskite of (HIS) 2 AgSbBr 8 (1, HIS 2+  = histammonium). Centimeter-sized (18 × 10 × 5 mm 3 ) single crystals of 1 are successfully grown via the temperature cooling technique, exhibiting remarkable semiconductive characteristics such as a high resistivity (2.2 × 10 11  Ω cm), a low trap state density (3.56 × 10 10 cm -3 ), and a large mobility-lifetime product (1.72 × 10 -3 cm 2 V -1 ). Strikingly, its single-crystal-based X-ray detector shows a high sensitivity of 223 µC Gy -1 air cm -2 under 33.3 V mm -1 , a low detection limit (84.2 nGy air s -1 ) and superior anti-fatigue. As far as we know, we firstly demonstrates the potential of 2D DJ phase lead-free hybrid double perovskite in X-ray detection, showing excellent photoelectric response and operational stability. This work will pave a promising pathway to the innovative application of hybrid perovskites for eco-friendly and efficient X-ray detection., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The photopyroelectric effect in ferroelectrics has shown great potential for application in infrared detection and imaging. One particular subclass is broadband with dielectric bistability, which allows for large pyroelectric figures-of-merit (FOMs). Herein, an improper high-T c perovskite ferroelectric, (IA) 2 (EA) 2 Pb 3 Cl 10 (1, where IA is isoamylammonium and EA is ethylammonium) is presented, in which spontaneous polarization (P s ) stems from the dynamic ordering of organic cations and the tilting of distorted PbCl 6 octahedra. Notably, 1 displays unusual dielectric bistability with small variations in the temperature-dependent dielectric constants near T c  = 392 K; this bistable attribute endows large pyroelectric FOMs with peak voltage efficiency (F V  = 1.7×10 -2  cm 2 µC -1 ) and sensitivity (F D  = 3.9×10 -4 Pa -1/2 ). These F V and F D parameters, beyond those of their proper counterparts, make 1 a promising candidate for infrared photodetection. As expected, the broadband photopyroelectric effects observed in 1 covered the ultraviolet to infrared-II spectral region (266-1950 nm). Such P s -directed photoactivities overcome the optical bandgap limitation and allow for wide-wave photodetection. As an innovative study on improper ferroelectricity, light is shaded here on the targeted engineering of new electrically ordered candidate materials for smart optoelectronic devices., (© 2023 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Two-dimensional (2D) hybrid perovskite materials have been widely used for polarization-sensitive photodetection due to their fascinating optical and physical attributes. However, studies on those materials that enable strong polarized-light activities under a weak-light condition remain quite scarce. Here, by tailoring aromatic cation into 3D prototype, we have successfully obtained a new 2D hybrid perovskite, (FPEA) 2 (MA)Pb 2 Br 7 (1, where FPEA is 4-fluorophenethylammonium and MA is methylammonium). The alternative alignment of inorganic and organic structural components results in significant anisotropy, including optical absorption and electric conductivity. The coupling effect of these anisotropic properties in 1 gives rise to strong dichroic activities toward detecting polarized light. Especially, under weak light intensity (∼330 nW/cm 2 ), it can still generate a large polarization ratio up to 1.35, which is even higher than those of some typical 2D materials (i. e., GeSe ∼1.09). Besides, single crystal-based photodetector of 1 displays fascinating detecting performances, including large photocurrent on/off ratio (∼10 4 ), fast response time (∼154/182 μs) and excellent antifatigued stability. These findings disclose the potentials of 1 as a robust candidate for detecting weak polarized light, which has practical applications in the field of polarized optoelectronics., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

As a momentum-independent spin configuration, persistent spin texture (PST) could avoid spin relaxation and play an advantageous role in spin lifetime. Nevertheless, manipulation of PST is a challenge due to the limited materials and ambiguous structure-property relationships. Herein, we present electrically switchable PST in a new 2D perovskite ferroelectric, (PA) 2 CsPb 2 Br 7 (where PA is n-pentylammonium), which has a high Curie temperature of 349 K, evident spontaneous polarization (3.2 μC cm -2 ) and a low coercive electric field of 5.3 kV cm -1 . The combination of symmetry-breaking in ferroelectrics and effective spin-orbit field facilitates intrinsic PST in the bulk and monolayer structure models. Strikingly, the directions of spin texture are reversible by switching the spontaneous electric polarization. This electric switching behavior relates to the tilting of PbBr 6 octahedra and the reorientation of organic PA + cations. Our studies on ferroelectric PST of 2D hybrid perovskites afford a platform for electrical spin texture manipulation., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The bulk anomalous photovoltaic (BAPV) effect of acentric materials refers to a distinct concept from traditional semiconductor-based devices, of which the above-bandgap photovoltage hints at a promise for solar-energy conversion. However, it is still a challenge to exploit new BAPV-active systems due to the lacking of knowledge on the structural origin of this concept. BAPV effects in single crystals of a 2D lead-free double perovskite, (BBA) 2 CsAgBiBr 7 (1, BBA = 4-bromobenzylammonium), tailored by mixing aromatic and alkali cations in the confined architecture to form electric polarization are acquired here. Strikingly, BAPV effects manifested by above-bandgap photovoltage (V OC ) show unique attributes of directional anisotropy and positive dependence on electrode spacing. The driving source stems from orientations of the polar aromatic spacer and Cs + ion drift, being different from the known built-in asymmetry photovoltaic heterojunctions. As the first demonstration of the BAPV effect in the double perovskites, the results will enrich the family of environmentally green BAPV-active candidates and further facilitate their new optoelectronic application., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Broadband photodetection has shown a great promise for diverse applications, while the realization of plateau photoresponse from ultraviolet (UV) to near-infrared (NIR) spectral region is very challenging. Herein, we exploit photoexcited pyroelectric effect in a chiral hybrid perovskite, (N, N-dimethylcyclohexylammonium)PbBr 3 (1), serving as a new pathway to drive broadband photoactivities. It is a room-temperature pyroelectric with large polarization of ≈6.4 μC cm -2 and high pyroelectric figure-of-merits (F V =1.0×10 -2  cm 2   μC -1 and F D =7.1×10 -5  Pa -1/2 ). Strikingly, light-induced pyroelectric effect arising from spontaneous polarization is observed in 1, which cover UV (266 nm) to NIR-II (1950 nm) full spectral region. The broadband photoresponses actualized by pyroelectricity break the limit of optical band gap. As the first demonstration of photo-pyroelectricity covering UV-to-NIR spectral region in hybrid perovskites, this work paves a pathway to assemble high-performance smart devices., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Polarized-light detection in the deep ultraviolet solar-blind region is indispensable for optoelectronic applications. 2D hybrid perovskite ferroelectrics with inherent anisotropy and bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE) have become a robust candidate in this portfolio. We here report a wide band-gap 2D perovskite ferroelectric, (isobutylammonium) 2 (methylamium)Pb 2 Cl 7 (1), in which the BPVE behaves as self-driving source for solar-blind ultraviolet polarized-light detection. It exhibits a large dichroism ratio (≈15.7) and superior BPVE-directed photocurrent (≈3.6 μA cm -2 , under 266 nm). These attributes facilitate excellent self-powered polarized-light detection of high on/off contrast (≈10 3 ) and polarization ratio (≈2.5), beyond those of inorganic oxides (e.g., ZnO, 1.47; GaN, 1.38). This study highlights potential of 2D perovskite ferroelectrics for new optoelectronic application., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Ferro-pyro-phototronic (FPP) effect is a triple coupling of ferroelectricity, light-induced pyroelectricity, and photo-excitation, which holds a bright promise for next-generation modern optoelectronic devices. However, except for few oxides (e.g., BaTiO 3 ), new FPP-active candidates remain extremely scarce due to the knowledge lacking on the underlying role of three coupling components. By tailoring the interlayered spacers, the authors present a series of 2D cesium-based perovskite ferroelectrics, (A') 2 CsPb 2 Br 7 (where A'-site cation is organic spacer), showing remarkable FPP-active properties. As expected, the dynamic ordering and reorientation of spacers along with atomic displacement of Cs + in the perovskite cavity lead to their ferroelectric polarizations. Particularly, exceptional FPP properties are created through this cooperation; the most FPP-active candidate (n-hexylammonium) 2 CsPb 2 Br 7 endows a giant contrast up to 1500% for photopyroelectric current to photovoltaic signal. This figure-of-merit is far beyond most inorganic oxide counterparts, such as ≈110% for BaTiO 3 . Further, the electric switching and controlling of FPP directions confirm a crucial role of ferroelectric polarization to this coupling effect. To the authors' best knowledge, this is the first study on an FPP-active candidate of 2D hybrid perovskites, which affords a new avenue to design ferroelectrics with targeted physical properties and forward their potentials to smart optoelectronic device application., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Two-dimensional (2D) hybrid perovskites are recently emerging as a potential family of semiconductors for versatile optoelectronic applications. Currently, the "perovskitizer" moieties are rigidly limited to small-size cations, while few 2D metal-halides containing guanidinium cations inside perovskite cages have been studied for photodetection. Herein, we present a new 2D hybrid perovskite, (i-BA) 2 (G)Pb 2 I 7 (where G is guanidinium and i-BA is isobutylammonium), which adopts a bilayered framework of {GPb 2 I 7 }. Single-crystal structure analyses disclose that G cations act as the perovskitizer, confined in the flexible perovskite cages formed by the distorted PbI 6 octahedra. Such inorganic sheets are crucial to the superior semiconducting properties and optical bandgap, as verified by the density functional theory calculation. Furthermore, its planar crystal-array photodetector shows fascinating photoelectric performance, including a quite low dark current (∼4.6×10 -11  A), a large current switching ratio (∼1.0×10 3 ), and a notable photo-responsivity of ∼0.72 A W -1 , suggesting great potential of (i-BA) 2 (G)Pb 2 I 7 for photodetection., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Two-dimensional (2D) organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites, benefiting from their natural anisotropy of quantum-well motifs and optical properties, have shown remarkable polarization-dependent responses superior to the 3D counterparts. Here, for the first time, multiwavelength polarization-sensitive detectors were fabricated by using single crystals of a guanidine-based 2D hybrid perovskite, (BA) 2 (GA)Pb 2 I 7 (where BA + is n-butylammonium and GA + is guanidium). Its unique 2D quantum-well structure results in strong crystallographic-dependence of optical absorption. Strikingly, our crystal-based photodetector exhibits a prominent photocurrent dichroic ratio (I max /I min ) of ∼2.2 at 520 nm, higher than the typical 2D inorganic materials (GeSe, ∼1.09, PdSe 2 , ∼1.8). In addition, notable dichroic ratios of 1.29 and 1.23 at 405 nm and 637 nm are also created for the multiwavelength polarized-light detection. The prominent detecting performances, including low dark current (1.6×10 -11  A), considerable on/off ratio (∼2×10 3 ), high photodetectivity (∼3.3×10 11 Jones) and responsivity (∼12.01 mA W -1 ), make (BA) 2 (GA)Pb 2 I 7 a promising candidate for polarized-light detection. This work sheds light on the rational engineering of new 2D hybrid perovskites for the high-performance optoelectronic device applications., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Co-catalysts are a major factor to enhance photocatalytic H2 activity; they are mainly composed of expensive noble metals. Here, we reported a new non-noble-metal co-catalyst Mo2 C that efficiently improves the photocatalytic H2 evolution of CdS under visible light irradiation. Mo2 C is prepared by temperature-programmed reaction with molybdenum oxide as precursor, and the Mo2 C/CdS composite is prepared by deposition of CdS on Mo2 C. The optimum composite 2.0 % Mo2 C/CdS shows a high H2 evolution rate of 161 μmol h(-1) , which is ten times higher than that of CdS alone and 2.3 times higher than the optimum for 1.0 % Pt/CdS. Moreover, the Mo2 C/CdS is stable for 50 h. This study presents a new low-cost non-noble-metal co-catalyst as a photocatalyst to achieve highly efficient H2 evolution., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)