Hierarchically 1D CdS decorated on 2D perovskite-type La2Ti2O7nanosheet hybrids with enhanced photocatalytic performance

In this paper, a heterojunction of hierarchically one-dimensional (1D) cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanowires decorated on the two-dimensional (2D) La2Ti2O7(LTO) has been fabricated by a simple two-step hydrothermal process. The structure, morphology and surface chemical composition of CdS/LTO were studied by a variety of characterizations, in which the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results showed a strong interaction between CdS and LTO through S-O bonds. The type II band alignment of CdS/LTO for favorable electron transfer from CdS to LTO and hole transfer from LTO to CdS was clarified by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and Mott-Schottky (M-S) plot measurements. In the absence of any co-catalyst, H(2)production from water splitting and Rhodamine B (RhB) decomposition in aqueous solution were carried out to evaluate the photocatalytic activities, showing that the photocatalytic performance of CdS/LTO was superior to that of pure LTO and CdS under visible light and simulated sunlight. The optimal CdS content in the CdS/LTO system was determined to be 7.5 wt%. The present results show an effective pathway to design a 1D/2D heterojunction photocatalyst in the face of overwhelming problems of energy crisis and environmental pollution.

Automated summary

In this study, a heterojunction of hierarchically 1D CdS nanowires decorated on 2D LTO was successfully fabricated via a two-step hydrothermal process. The CdS/LTO structure showed superior photocatalytic performance compared to pure LTO and CdS. This research provides insights into addressing energy crisis and environmental pollution issues.