Rationally designed Ti3C2 MXene@TiO2/CuInS2 Schottky/S-scheme integrated heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

The development of novel and efficient heterojunction photocatalysts is still a challenging issue for achieving highly efficient solar-to-chemical energy conversion. Herein, we report the construction of Ti3C2 MXene@TiO2/CuInS2 (M@T/CIS) integrated Schottky/step-scheme (S-scheme) heterojunction by two-step hydrothermal process for boosting photocatalytic hydrogen generation activity. The as-prepared M@T/CIS hybrid photocatalysts exhibit the synergistic effects for enhanced visible-light harvesting, improved charge transfer and increased active site for photocatalytic H-2 evolution. They deliver a H-2 evolution rate of 356.27 mu mol g(-1)h(-1), which is similar to 69 and 636 times higher than those of M@T and CIS, respectively, representing their potential applications towards photocatalytic H-2 evolution.

Automated summary

The construction of Ti3C2 MXene@TiO2/CuInS2 heterojunction photocatalysts by a two-step hydrothermal process enhances the photocatalytic hydrogen generation activity. The synergistic effects of the hybrid photocatalysts result in improved visible-light harvesting, charge transfer, and active site for H-2 evolution, demonstrating their potential applications in this field.