Rational heterojunction design of 1D WO3 nanorods decorated with vertical 2D MoS2 nanosheets for enhanced photoelectrochemical performance

The development of the heterostructures of one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors is a prospective strategy to design an efficient photoanode for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. In this study, we report the controllable growth and beneficial heterojunction effects of vertically aligned 2D MoS2 nanosheets (NSs) on 1D WO3 nanorods (NRs) for efficient PEC water-splitting reactivity. MoS2 NSs were decorated on WO3 NRs by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. In comparison with pristine WO3 NRs, vertical MoS2 NSs-decorated WO3 NRs possessed an enlarged surface area, improved light absorption performance, and appropriately organized the staggered heterojunction of MoS2/WO3 for promoting the PEC reaction. PEC performance was considerably affected by the size of vertical MoS2 NSs. MoS2/WO3 structure with appropriate MoS2 NS size showed a 72% enhancement in PEC performance compared with pristine WO3. These results provide a valuable strategy for constructing staggered heterojunctions and introducing morphology control for beneficial PEC applications. (C) 2022 Published by Elsevier B.V.