MoS2/NiTiO3 Heterojunctions as Photocatalysts: Improved Charge Separation for Promoting Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production Activity

In this study, a novel molybdenum disulfide modified nickel titanate composite photocatalyst MoS2/NiTiO3 was designed and synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. The petal-like MoS2 is highly dispersive, which provides many active sites. The photocatalytic activity of MoS2/NiTiO3 for hydrogen evolution is better than that of pure MoS2 and NiTiO3 nanosheets. The hydrogen evolution amount of MoS2/NiTiO3 is 300.43 mu mol, which is 5.3 and 1.9 times higher than of pure NiTiO3 and MoS2, respectively. In addition, the catalyst 7% MoS2/NiTiO3 has good stability through cyclic experiments. The results of photoluminescence spectroscopy and photoelectrochemical measurements show that the introduction of MoS2 accelerates the separation and transfer efficiency of photogenerated electrons. We have also proposed new discoveries for charge transfer mechanism of MoS2/NiTiO3 composite catalyst, which will provide a novel way to develop simple and inexpensive photocatalysts.