Facile Synthesis of TiO(2)/MoS(2) Composites with Co-Exposed High-Energy Facets for Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance

In this work, with the the H(2)TiO(3) colloidal suspension and MoS(2) as the precursors, TiO(2)/MoS(2) composites composed of anatase TiO(2) nanocrystals with co-exposed {101} and [111]-facets (nanorod and nanocuboid), {101} and {010} facets (nanospindle), and MoS(2) microspheres constructed by layer-by-layer self-assembly of nanosheets were hydrothermally synthesized under different pH conditions. The characterization has been performed by combining X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution TEM (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence (PL) spectra, and UV-visible absorption spectrum analyses. The photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) in an aqueous suspension was employed to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared pHx-TiO(2)/MoS(2) composites. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of pH3.5-TiO(2)/MoS(2) composite was the highest (99.70%), which was 11.24, 2.98, 1.48, 1.21, 1.09, 1.03, 1.10, and 1.14 times that of Blank, MoS(2), CM-TiO(2), pH1.5-TiO(2)/MoS(2), pH5.5-TiO(2)/MoS(2), pH7.5-TiO(2)/MoS(2), pH9.5-TiO(2)/MoS(2), pH11.5-TiO(2)/MoS(2), respectively. The pH3.5-TiO(2)/MoS(2) composite exhibited the highest photocatalytic degradation rate, which may be attributed to the synergistic effects of its large specific surface area, suitable heterojunction structure, and favorable photogenerated charge-separation efficiency. This work is expect to provide primary insights into the photocatalytic effect of TiO(2)/MoS(2) composite with co-exposed high-energy facets, and make a contribution to designing more efficient and stable photocatalysts.