Photoelectrochemical properties of ZnS- and CdS-TiO 2 nanostructured photocatalysts: Aqueous sulfidation as a smart route to improve catalyst stability

•Aqueous sulfidation was performed onTiO2 nanofibers supported on Ti sheet and decorated by polyol-made quantum dots (QDs).•Sulfidation was used to limit QD’s air-sensitivity.•The resulting hetero-nanostructures were used as anode for photo-electrochemical (PEC) water splitting.•PEC performances of the engineered photo-anodes were greatly improved compared to those of their parent counterparts.