Hydrothermal preparation of MoS₂/TiO₂/Si nanowires composite with enhanced photocatalytic performance under visible light

Highlights: • Silicon nanowires synthesis by metal assisted chemical etching • Simple method for MoS₂ hydrothermal synthesis and uniform deposition on silicon nanowires • Composite material for photodegradation of rhodamine B under visible light • Increase kinetic constant (K_app) for rhodamine degradation In this paper, we report on a simple, low cost and environmentally friendly method for the synthesis of 3D hierarchical molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nano-sheets on TiO₂ coated Si nanowires (SiNW). The synthetic method has several advantages such as low temperature, short reaction time and does not require any additives or surfactants. Characterization of the obtained composite material was performed by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). The photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared MoS₂ nanosheets was investigated for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. We found that MoS₂/TiO₂/SiNW interface exhibited stable and good catalytic activity as compared to other MoS₂-based photocatalytic materials. The photocatalytic mechanism is believed to occur through photocatalytic and photosensitization processes.