Construction of a Z-scheme MoS2/CaTiO3 heterostructure by the morphology-controlled strategy towards enhancing photocatalytic activity

Photocatalysis water splitting for H2 evolution and pollutant degradation is a promising technology for the energy crisis and environmental pollution. In this work, a new Z-scheme MoS2/CaTiO3 heterostructure is constructed via the morphology-controlled strategy, in which the MoS2 nanospheres tightly anchor on the surface of macroporous multishelled hollow CaTiO3 cubes. The Z-scheme MoS2/CaTiO3 heterostructure displays dramatically enhanced photocatalytic performance for generating hydrogen and degrading tetracycline (TC) in water compared to single MoS2 and CaTiO3. The main reasons for enhancing photocatalytic performance are the Z-scheme electron transport mechanism and the strong interaction between the MoS2 nanosphere and the multishelled hollow CaTiO3 cube. Furthermore, the photo-electrochemical analysis indicates that the Z-scheme MoS2/CaTiO3 heterostructure has more efficient charge-carrier separation, a faster charge transfer and a longer photoproduced charge lifetime, as well as the greatly enhanced photocatalytic activities. This work provides a new notion to research an efficient material with the combination of the Z-scheme mechanism and a morphology design for relieving energy and environment pressure. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.