Synthesis of Few‐Layer MoS₂ Nanosheet‐Coated TiO₂ Nanobelt Heterostructures for Enhanced Photocatalytic Activities

TLDR

TiO₂@MoS₂ heterostructures were fabricated by hydrothermal synthesis, where TiO₂ nanobelts template the growth of few‑layer MoS₂ nanosheets, preventing c‑axis crystal growth. The TiO₂@MoS₂ heterostructure, especially at 50 wt % MoS₂, achieves high photocatalytic hydrogen production (1.6 mmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹) without Pt and shows strong dye adsorption and efficient photocatalytic degradation.

Abstract

Abstract MoS 2 nanosheet‐coated TiO 2 nanobelt heterostructures—referred to as TiO 2 @MoS 2 —with a 3D hierarchical configuration are prepared via a hydrothermal reaction. The TiO 2 nanobelts used as a synthetic template inhibit the growth of MoS 2 crystals along the c‐axis, resulting in a few‐layer MoS 2 nanosheet coating on the TiO 2 nanobelts. The as‐prepared TiO 2 @MoS 2 heterostructure shows a high photocatalytic hydrogen production even without the Pt co‐catalyst. Importantly, the TiO 2 @MoS 2 heterostructure with 50 wt% of MoS 2 exhibits the highest hydrogen production rate of 1.6 mmol h −1 g −1 . Moreover, such a heterostructure possesses a strong adsorption ability towards organic dyes and shows high performance in photocatalytic degradation of the dye molecules.