Fabrication of few layers of MoS2 coated TiO2 inverse opals

Abstract

This project sought to study the effect of enhancing photochemical water splitting using both CuS and MoS2 precursors as coatings on TiO2 inverse opal nanostructures. An introduction is first given about the background and purposes of the project. The reader is next provided a concise and cogent review of existing literature and research that has been performed on self-assembled of polystyrene opals and the preparation of TiO2 inverse opal structures and on CuS and MoS2. A detailed list of vital experimental equipment and TiO2 inverse opal methodology used is then provided. It was found that using 3 cycles of dip coating resulted in the optimal condition to yield optimum pore size with high specific area, which is expected to enhance light trapping for TiO2. The polystyrene diameter was also changed to tune the optical band position. It was found that a diameter of 392 nm has the highest reflection peak in the visible area, which can trap more visible light when assembled with other semiconductors. CuS nanoparticles and a few layers of MoS2 nanosheets were assembled on the surface of TiO2 inverse opals to form hierarchal nanostructures, which are expected to show enhanced performance in catalyzing water splitting, when compared with pure TiO2. Finally, a conclusion is made with further suggestions as to how this study might be further developed for the benefit of ensuing research work in this field.