MoS₃ loaded TiO₂ nanoplates for photocatalytic water and carbon dioxide reduction

Photocatalytic water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction provide us clean and sustainable energy resources. The carbon dioxide reduction is also the redemption of the greenhouse effect. MoS₃/TiO₂ photocatalysts based on TiO₂ nanoplates have been synthesized via a hydrothermal acidification route for water and carbon dioxide reduction reactions. This facile approach generates well dispersed MoS₃ with low crystallinity on the surface of TiO₂ nanoplates. The as-synthesized MoS₃/TiO₂ photocatalyst showed considerable activity for both water reduction and carbon dioxide reduction. The thermal treatment effects of TiO₂, the loading percentage of MoS₃ and the crystalline phase of TiO₂ have been investigated towards the photocatalytic performance. TiO₂ nanoplate synthesized through hydrothermal reaction with the presence of HF acid is an ideal semiconductor material for the loading of MoS₃ for photocatalytic water and carbon dioxide reduction simultaneously in EDTA sacrificial solution.