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.