Nanohybrids of two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides and titanium dioxide for photocatalytic applications

Abstract

The ever increasing need for renewable and clean energy resources as well as environmental concerns are considered as two serious challenges of today's society. Photocatalysis has proved to be a reliable and effective technology to overcome these issues. However, to bring the full potential of this approach into reality, two main hurdles of fast charge recombination and the limited visible light absorption should be tackled. To address these obstacles, nanocomposites based on titanium dioxide nanostructures and semiconducting two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides have been developed and proven to be excellent photocatalysts. In this review, we will overview the recent developments on the fabrication and rational design of these nanocomposites both for hydrogen production and photocatalytic degradation of pollutants with emphasis on those appealing structures.