MoS2 nanosheets encapsulating TiO2 hollow spheres with enhanced photocatalytic activity for nitrophenol reduction

Crumpled MoS2 nanosheet encapsulating TiO2 hollow spheres (HT@M-0.8) core@shell three-dimensional (3D) heterojunction are synthesized successfully by in situ growth MoS2 on the surface of TiO2 through hydrothermal process. The core with a hollow structure enhanced light adsorption by multiple reflections in the available inner void space. The outer crumpled MoS2 can increase surface area of the composite. The photocatalytic reduction of HT@M-0.8 towards 4-nitrophenol is 99.35%, which is much higher than that of pure TiO2 and MoS2. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of HT@M-0.8 attributes to relative low recombination rate of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved