In-Situ Growth of SnS Hexagonal Nanoplates on 2D TiCT: An Efficient Nanoheterostructure for Hydrogen Generation and Dye Degradation.

The present investigation demonstrates the successful in situ synthesis of 2D TiCT/SnS nanoheterostructures with varying Ti/Sn ratios, which were then evaluated as photocatalysts for hydrogen production via water splitting. Several characterization techniques were employed to confirm the formation and properties of the nanoheterostructures. XRD analysis revealed diffraction peaks corresponding to TiCT (MXene) and SnS, confirming the successful synthesis of TiCT/SnS nanoheterostructures. FE-SEM, FETEM, and XPS further validated the formation of 2D nanoheterostructures, showing hexagonal nanosheets of SnS and layered structures of MXene. High-resolution TEM images and selected area electron diffraction patterns indicated the coexistence of TiCT and SnS in the heterostructures. The optical properties of the nanoheterostructures showed absorption in the visible light region, with band gaps in the range of 2.17-2.34 eV. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra exhibited band-edge emission in the range of 535-550 nm for all compositions, except for the pristine TiCT. The TS-5 wt % nanoheterostructure exhibited the highest photocatalytic hydrogen generation of approximately 1178.5 μmol/0.1 g, significantly outperforming other compositions. It also demonstrated an excellent apparent quantum yield of 2.2% and efficient methylene blue (MB) dye degradation. The study highlights that the longer decay times of photogenerated charge carriers in the TS-5 wt % sample contribute to its superior photocatalytic performance. These findings suggest that the design of 2D nanoheterostructures with optimized composition can significantly improve photocatalytic efficiency.