Heterojunction engineering between 2D MoSe2 nanosheets and 1D Ta3N5 nanofibers for boosted photocatalytic hydrogen production

The heterojunction photocatalysts have been recognized as one of the efficient and stable candidates for the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy. In the present work, 1D Ta3N5/2D MoSe2 (TN/MS) heterojunction photocatalysts are rationally designed, in which the surfaces of Ta3N5 nanofibers are solidly and uniformly in situ anchored with the silk-like MoSe2 nanosheets. As a result, the optimized nanocomposites present a more competitive photocatalytic hydrogen production activity (811.74 μmol/g/h) than most recently reported Ta3N5-based photocatalysts, representing their potential toward practical applications. The mechanism of the enhanced photocatalytic activity over the TN/MS heterojunction photocatalysts is verified by the experiments and theoretical calculations, which is mainly attributed to the improved light absorption, raised reaction kinetics, and promoted carrier separation, as enabled by the heterojunction engineering between 1D Ta3N5 and 2D MoSe2.