Phase and Defect Engineering of MoS2 Stabilized in Periodic TiO2 Nanoporous Film for Enhanced Solar Water Splitting

Phase and defect engineering of the heterostructured MoS2@TiO2 nanoporous film is investigated to achieve a broad solar spectrum light absorption and high solar water splitting efficiency. The phase transition from the semiconducting 2H-MoS2 to the metallic 1T-MoS2 is achieved by a hydrothermal exfoliation treatment. Experimental studies elucidate that the solar water splitting activity is greatly improved by forming 1T-MoS2 along with increasing S-vacancies because of the significantly enhanced surface plasmon resonance. The mixed-phase MoS2@TiO2 film shows a high H-2 yield rate of 308 mu mol h(-1) cm(-2) and long-term durability for 30 h, which is superior to the state-of-the-art catalysts for solar water splitting. This study offers a universal and efficient avenue to rationalize the plasmonic catalysts for solar water splitting and other energy and environmental applications.