Hydrothermal synthesis of MoS 2 nanosheet loaded TiO 2 nanoarrays for enhanced visible light photocatalytic applications.

A molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) nanosheet-decorated titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) NRA heterojunction composite was fabricated successfully through a two-step hydrothermal approach. Microstructures and optical properties of specimens were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The gaps of the TiO 2 nanorods have been filled with tiny MoS 2 nanosheets, which can increase the surface area of MoS 2 /TiO 2 NRA composite thin films. In addition, the photocatalytic activity of the thin films were measured and discussed in greater detail. The appropriate hydrothermal reaction temperature of MoS 2 is important for the growth of perfect MoS 2 /TiO 2 NRA composites with significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance. The photodegradation rate and k value of MoS 2 -220/TiO 2 are 86% and 0.0105 min -1 , respectively, which are much larger than those of blank TiO 2 . The enhanced photocatalytic performance could be attributed to the higher visible light absorption and the reduced recombination rate of photogenerated electron-hole pairs.