Abstract
A novel type of TiO2 nanotubes (NTs)/Ag/MoS2 meshy photoelectrode was fabricated with highly oriented TiO2 nanotube arrays grown from a Ti mesh supporting Ag nanoparticles and three-dimensional MoS2 nanosheets. In this structure, Ag nanoparticles act as bridges to connect MoS2 and TiO2 and pathways for electron transfer, ensuring the abundant production of active electrons, which are the source of •O2−. The TiO2 NTs/Ag/MoS2 mesh can be used as both photocatalyst and electrode, exhibiting enhanced photoelectrocatalytic efficiency in degrading tetracycline hydrochloride under visible light irradiation (λ ≥ 420 nm). Compared to unmodified TiO2 NTs, the improved photoelectrocatalytic activity of the TiO2 NTs/Ag/MoS2 arise from the formation of Z-scheme heterojunctions, which facilitate the efficient separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs through the Schottky barriers at the interfaces of TiO2 NTs–Ag and Ag–MoS2.
Highlights
Over recent years, the presence and fate of antibiotics in the water environment has attracted considerable social attention due to threat they pose to human health and the safety of the ecological environment [1,2,3]
A conductive Ti mesh bearing highly ordered and oriented TiO2 NTs was employed as solid substrates for the assembly of Ag nanoparticles and MoS2 nanosheets through photochemical reduction and hydrothermal methods
Under visible irradiation and applied voltage, the resulting TiO2 NTs/Ag/MoS2 mesh worked as photoelectrode and exhibited superior photoelectrocatalytic activity for the degradation of Tetracycline hydrochloride (TC·HCl)
Summary
The presence and fate of antibiotics in the water environment has attracted considerable social attention due to threat they pose to human health and the safety of the ecological environment [1,2,3]. The coupling of a wide band gap semiconductor (TiO2 NTs) with two suitable narrow band gap ones (Ag and MoS2) leads to the formation of TiO2 NTs/Ag/MoS2 heterojunctions, which will be highly effective in improving the utilization of solar light, promoting interfacial charge transfer, and enhancing photoelecrocatalytic activity for removing TC·HCl. In this study, a conductive Ti mesh bearing highly ordered and oriented TiO2 NTs was employed as solid substrates for the assembly of Ag nanoparticles and MoS2 nanosheets through photochemical reduction and hydrothermal methods. Under visible irradiation and applied voltage, the resulting TiO2 NTs/Ag/MoS2 mesh worked as photoelectrode and exhibited superior photoelectrocatalytic activity for the degradation of TC·HCl. In addition, a possible photoelectrcatalytic degradation mechanism was proposed by identifying reactive species involved and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra
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