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
