Hierarchical MoS₂@TiO₂ Heterojunctions for Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance and Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Abstract

Hierarchical MoS₂ @TiO₂ heterojunctions were synthesized through a one-step hydrothermal method by using protonic titanate nanosheets as the precursor. The TiO₂ nanosheets prevent the aggregation of MoS₂ and promote the carrier transfer efficiency, and thus enhance the photocatalytic and electrocatalytic activity of the nanostructured MoS₂ . The obtained MoS₂ @TiO₂ has significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity in the degradation of rhodamine B (over 5.2 times compared with pure MoS₂ ) and acetone (over 2.8 times compared with pure MoS₂ ). MoS₂ @TiO₂ is also beneficial for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution (26 times compared with pure MoS₂ , based on the cathodic current density). This work offers a promising way to prevent the self-aggregation of MoS₂ and provides a new insight for the design of heterojunctions for materials with lattice mismatches.