Distorted\n1T-ReS₂ Nanosheets Anchored on\nPorous TiO₂ Nanofibers for Highly Enhanced Photocatalytic\nHydrogen Production

Abstract

Recently,\nloading TiO₂ with transition-metal disulfides\n(TMDs) to construct dual functional heterostructures has been widely\nresearched as an effective strategy to improve the photocatalytic\nperformance of a TiO₂ photocatalyst. For the TMD cocatalysts,\nthe 2H-MoS₂ and 1T-MoS₂ have been widely studied\nand researched. However, they suffer from poor catalytic activity\nsites/low charge transfer ability and an unstable structure. In this\nregard, distorted 1T-phase TMDs with a stable structure are greatly\nfit for the cocatalyst due to their high charge transfer ability and\nrich catalytic sites on both the edge and basal plane. Therefore,\nit is highly desirable to develop distorted 1T-phase TMD/TiO₂ heterostructures with well-identified interfaces for highly enhanced\nphotocatalytic performance. Herein, we first introduce distorted 1T-ReS₂ anchored on porous TiO₂ nanofibers as a promising\nphotocatalyst for achieving an excellent photocatalytic hydrogen production.\nThe excellent performance is attributed to the strong chemical interaction\nof the Ti–O–Re bond between TiO₂ and ReS₂, the excellent electron mobility of distorted 1T-ReS₂, and the abundant catalytic activity sites on both the plane\nand edge of the ReS₂ cocatalyst.