MS2/TiO2 (M = Co, Sn and Ni) electrodes for electrocatalytic and photocatalytic water splitting

Abstract

Exploring an efficient and stable nanocatalyst for water splitting is a highly desirable, but still a challenging goal. Herein, we synthesized different metalchalcogenides (MS2: M = Co, Ni, Sn) embedded with TiO2 that form nanocomposites by the facile hydrothermal method for water splitting. The crystallinity and phases of the prepared materials were confirmed by X-Ray diffractive spectra; the morphology of the particles was studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy; and their superior catalytic performance in electrochemical and photocatalytic activity were examined using electrochemical characterization and photocatalytic experiments, respectively. In electrochemical processes, compared with bare TiO2, 10 wt% CoS2/TiO2, SnS2/TiO2, and NiS2/TiO2 nanocomposites exhibited high current densities with low Tafel slope values in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In addition, the amounts of hydrogen evolution in electrocatalysis and photocatalysis reactions were examined. These results show that metalchalcogenide (MS2) embedded with TiO2 nanocomposites electrodes are highly promising candidates to be used as efficient electro and photocatalysts for the water splitting process