1T-MoS2 nanopatch/Ti3C2 MXene/TiO2 nanosheet hybrids for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Abstract

The biggest challenging issue in photocatalytic hydrogen production is to efficiently separate the photoinduced electron–hole pairs, which requires the enrichment of photoinduced electrons on the photocatalyst's surface. Herein, TiO₂ nanosheets (NSs) are in situ grown on highly conductive Ti₃C₂ MXene and then 1T-MoS₂ nanopatches are uniformly distributed on the Ti₃C₂/TiO₂ composite through a two-step hydrothermal method. Thus, a unique 2D structure of the Ti₃C₂/TiO₂/1T-MoS₂ composite with double metallic co-catalysts Ti₃C₂ and 1T phase MoS₂ nanopatches is achieved, and the content of 1T phase reaches 84%. The photocatalytic H₂ production rate of the Ti₃C₂/TiO₂/1T-MoS₂ composite with an optimized MoS₂ loading amount (15 wt%) is nearly 132, 11, and 1.5 times higher than that of pure TiO₂ NSs, Ti₃C₂/TiO₂ composites and Ti₃C₂/TiO₂/2H-MoS₂ composites (15 wt%). The 1T-MoS₂ nanopatches on the surface of the Ti₃C₂/TiO₂ composites increase the specific surface area and boost the density of active sites. Besides, the presence of Ti₃C₂ MXene and 1T phase MoS₂ is found to enhance the electronic conductivity, resulting in an increase in efficiency for electron transfer.