1D/2D TiO₂/MoS₂ Hybrid Nanostructures for Enhanced Photocatalytic CO₂ Reduction

Abstract

Abstract Photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 into solar fuels is recognized an attractive approach to solve the environmental and energy crisis. MoS 2 , a type of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides, has attracted significant attention in photoelectronics, sensors and photo/electrocatalytic water splitting owing to its remarkable properties. Nevertheless, to date, MoS 2 is barely used as (co)catalyst for CO 2 photoreduction. Herein, novel 1D/2D TiO 2 /MoS 2 nanostructured hybrid with TiO 2 fibers covered by MoS 2 nanosheets by hydrothermal transformation method is fabricated. The MoS 2 sheet arrays show a lateral size of ≈80 nm and a thickness of down to 2 nm, vertically and uniformly standing upon the TiO 2 fibers. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results and density functional theory (DFT) calculation imply the intimate chemical interaction between MoS 2 and TiO 2 upon hybridization, which can facilitate electron–hole separation upon photoexcitation. In addition, the hierarchical TiO 2 /MoS 2 nanostructure shows enhanced optical absorption and CO 2 adsorption, therefore, a superior photocatalytic activity for reducing CO 2 into methane and methanol is achieved over the hybrid as compared to pristine TiO 2 . Isotope ( 13 C) tracer test confirms that the products are produced from the photocatalytic reduction of the CO 2 source instead of any organic contaminants. This work offers an alternative approach to rationally design and synthesize TiO 2 ‐based photocatalysts toward high‐efficiency photoreduction of CO 2 .