Metallic 1T-TiS2 nanodots anchored on a 2D graphitic C3N4 nanosheet nanostructure with high electron transfer capability for enhanced photocatalytic performance

Abstract

Photocatalysis is one of the most promising technologies for solar energy conversion. With the development of photocatalysis technology, the creation of low-dimensional structure photocatalysts with improved properties becomes more and more important. Metallic 1T-TiS₂ nanodots with a low-dimensional structure were introduced into environmentally friendly two-dimensional g-C₃N₄ (2D-C₃N₄) nanosheets by a solvothermal method. It was found that the ultrathin TiS₂ nanodots were uniformly anchored on the surface of the 2D-C₃N₄. The effective suppression of electron–hole recombination was realized due to the addition of the intrinsic metallic property of 1T-TiS₂ in the prepared nanocomposite. The 5 wt% TiS₂/2D-C₃N₄ nanocomposite exhibited the best photocatalytic performance and the degradation rate towards RhB was ca. 95% in 70 min, which showed an improvement of ca. 30% in comparison with 2D-C₃N₄. The results indicate that the obtained TiS₂/2D-C₃N₄ nanocomposite is a promising photocatalyst for practical applications.