Abstract:

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a benchmark photocatalyst for environmental applications, but its limited visible-light activity due to a wide band gap and fast charge recombination restricts its practical efficiency. This study presents the development of heterostructured Ag (Au)/MoS2-TiO2 inverse opal (IO) films that synergistically integrate photonic, plasmonic, and semiconducting functionalities to overcome these limitations. The materials were synthesized via a one-step evaporation-induced co-assembly approach, embedding MoS2 nanosheets and plasmonic nanoparticles (Ag or Au) within a nanocrystalline TiO2 photonic framework. The inverse opal architecture enhances light harvesting through slow-photon effects, while MoS2 and plasmonic nanoparticles improve visible-light absorption and charge separation. By tuning the template sphere size, the photonic band gap was aligned with the TiO2-MoS2 absorption edge and the localized surface plasmon resonance of Ag, enabling optimal spectral overlap. The corresponding Ag/MoS2-TiO2 photonic films exhibited superior photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic degradation of tetracycline under visible light. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and Mott–Schottky analysis confirmed favorable band alignment and Fermi level shifts that facilitate interfacial charge transfer. These results highlight the potential of integrated photonic–plasmonic-semiconductor architectures for efficient solar-driven water treatment.

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