One-step molten-salt synthesis of anatase/rutile bi-phase TiO2@MoS2 hierarchical photocatalysts for enhanced solar-driven hydrogen generation

Phase junction construction and surface modification are two practical engineering strategies towards efficient photocatalysis. In the present work, the A natase/ R utile biphasic TiO 2 nanoparticles@ M oS 2 nanosheets ( ARM ) heterojunctions were directly constructed via one-step pyrolysis of TiO(OH) 2 and (NH 4 ) 2 MoS 4 in LiCl-KCl molten salt. Phase junction is verified at the interface between anatase and rutile TiO 2 , which efficiently enhances spatial charge separation. With further incorporating MoS 2 over TiO 2 to facilitate kinetics of surface redox reactions, the ARM with an optimal MoS 2 weight ratio of 5% exhibits significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity towards solar-driven hydrogen evolution, achieving a hydrogen production rate comparable to the Pt/TiO 2 . The detailed characterization highlights the merits of molten-salt pyrolysis to modulate compositional/structural rationales of photocatalysts utilizing the synergistic effect of anatase/rutile phase junction and surface TiO 2 -MoS 2 heterojunction . The present study provides a facile approach to enable surface and interface engineering in one step.