Abstract
Lowering the cost and increasing the efficiency of photocatalysts for hydrogen (H2) evolution remain challenging, especially with eco-friendly materials. With these goals in mind, in this study we adopted tungsten disulfide (WS2) nanosheets, a nonmetallic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) material covering P25 TiO2, for plasmon-induced resonance energy transfer (PIRET) to improve the photocarrier response of H2 evolution. Under simulated solar light irradiation, the optimized 2.4W heterostructure provided a durable and outstanding H2 evolution rate (321 μmol g−1 h−1) that was approximately 55.3 times higher than that of TiO2. Raman spectra revealed the presence of dipole–dipole interactions within the WS2–TiO2 heterostructure, while UV–Vis optical absorption spectra indicated that the WS2 absorption range overlaid the band gap of TiO2. Under irradiation with light, the SPR of the WS2 nanosheets underwent near-field dipole-dipole coupling with the excitons of TiO2 to increase the number of excitons and inhibit charge recombination. This study suggests the possibility of using nonmetallic SPR materials for efficient solar energy conversion.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
