MXene-derived anatase-TiO2/rutile-TiO2/In2O3 heterojunctions toward efficient hydrogen evolution

Heterojunction engineering has been deemed as one of effective strategies to develop advanced photocatalysts for photocatalytic H 2 evolution. In the present work, we report the rationally designed TiO 2 (anatase)/TiO 2 (rutile)/In 2 O 3 (TiO 2 (A-R)/In 2 O 3 ) heterojunctions through a one-step in situ calcination method for photocatalytic H 2 evolution. The as-constructed TiO 2 (A-R)/In 2 O 3 heterojunction photocatalysts deliver a H 2 evolution rate of 268 μmol g −1 h −1 , which is 1488 times greater than that of pristine In 2 O 3 . Such significantly enhanced behaviors could be attributed to the MXene-derived porous multilayer-like nanostructures , which offer more reactive sites, promote light harvesting, and accelerate the transfer of photogenerated carriers. Moreover, the formation of two type-II semiconductor heterojunctions with intimate contact among anatase TiO 2 , rutile TiO 2 and In 2 O 3 affords the synergetic effect for improved charge separation with boosted photocatalytic H 2 evolution.