Fabrication of dandelion clock-inspired preparation of core-shell TiO2@MoS2 composites for unprecedented high visible light-driven photocatalytic performance

Phase junction construction and surface modification are two practical engineering strategies toward efficient photocatalysis. In the present work, core-shell TiO₂@MoS₂ heterojunction composites were directly constructed via one-step hydrothermal method. The prepared catalysts are characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy, Transmission electron microscopy, and N₂ adsorption–desorption studies to know the structural, morphological, and textural properties. The optical absorption and prevention of electron–hole recombination process was studied by UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) and photoluminescence analysis. The photocatalytic degradation experiment was carried out using methyl orange (MO) and 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) for all the catalysts under visible light irradiation. The results reveal that MoS₂@TiO₂ heterojunction catalyst shows excellent photocatalytic activity toward 4-NP such as high removal efficiency (96%), high apparent constant (0.0242 min⁻¹), and long-term stability. The enhancement in the photodegradation is due to dandelion clock heterostructures of MoS₂@TiO₂ possess high specific surface area (103.5 m²/g), specific pores (11.8 nm). The photoelectrochemical results suggest that MoS₂@TiO₂ catalyst exhibits the high photoresponse than compared with pure MoS₂ and TiO₂ catalysts, respectively.