The photocatalytic hydrogen evolution based on 3-mercaptopropionic acid stabilized CdS, CdTe, and CdTe0.3S0.5 alloyed quantum dots (QDs) have been investigated under visible light irradiation in the aqueous solution by using ascorbic acid solution as a sacrificial electron donor and CoCl2 center dot 6H(2)O as a co-catalyst. CdS and CdTeS alloyed QDs exhibits higher hydrogen evolution rates of 9.3 mmol g(-1), h(-1) and 8 mmol g(-1) h(-1), respectively, which is about two fold higher than CdTe. (C) 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.