Phase-controlled 1T/2H-MoS2 interaction with reduced TiO2 for highly stable photocatalytic CO2 reduction into CO

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction is a potential technique for converting solar energy and greenhouse gases into value-added-chemicals. However, limited light absorption and poor charge separation of electron-hole pairs are the main obstacles. Here, we have developed a highly stable, phase-controlled heterostructured photocatalyst of molybdenum sulfide with reduced titania (1T/2H-MoS2@RT) for CO2 reduction into CO. The optimized 1T/2H-MoS2@RT produced 1.02 μmol g−1 h−1 (1480.1 ppm g−1 h−1) of CO. The catalyst showed ∼5 and ∼19 times higher activity than RT and MoS2, respectively, and excellent stability over 48 h (8 cycles). Our investigation revealed that the combination of phase-controlled MoS2 with RT synergizes the selective conversion of CO2 to CO. MoS2 acts as a visible light sensitizer and electron transport bridge; however, RT extracts electrons from MoS2 because of its lower energy potential. Improved light absorption, CO2 adsorption, and rapid electron-hole separation are responsible for the increased catalytic activity and stability.