Journal of Materials Science, Vol.55, No.30, 14773-14786, 2020
One-step photodeposition synthesis of TiO(2)nanobelts/MoS(2)quantum dots/rGO ternary composite with remarkably enhanced photocatalytic activity
Constructing a composite photocatalyst with distinct structures is an efficient mean to improve the charge transfer/separation ability and increase the active sites of TiO2-based photocatalyst. For the first time, we synthesized a TiO(2)nanobelts/MoS(2)quantum dots (QDs)/rGO (TiO2/MoS2/rGO) ternary photocatalyst via a facile one-step photodeposition method. TiO(2)nanobelts provide photoinduced electrons that facilitate formation and self-assembling of MoS(2)QDs and rGO. The TiO2/MoS2/rGO ternary composites present two different structures: One is a composite structure of graphene-wrapped TiO(2)nanobelt/MoS(2)QDs, and the other is composed of graphene-supported TiO(2)nanobelts and MoS(2)QDs. Both configurations facilitate the separation of photoinduced electron-hole pairs and charge transfer. The heterostructure of zero-dimensional MoS(2)QDs, one-dimensional TiO(2)nanobelts, and two-dimensional graphenes endows the photocatalyst with the integrated advantages of these nanomaterials with different dimensions and provides a substantial number of active sites for photocatalytic reactions. The TiO2/MoS2/rGO ternary composites degraded rhodamine B at a rate constant that is 8.72 times faster than that of pristine TiO(2)nanobelt. This study presents a facile method to synthesize an inexpensive multi-composite photocatalyst with high efficiency for renewable energy production and environmental treatments. Graphic abstract