Fabrication Of ReS₂ Nanosheets And Research Of ReS₂ Heterojunction Photocatalytic Properties

Due to the quantum confinement effects,semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides?TMDCs?undergo a crossover from indirect bandgap in the bulk to direct bandgap in the monolayer,which enables traditional TMDCs a superior performance and applications in various fields,such as photoelectricity and so on.However,large-scale preparation of single-layer semiconductors with accurate control of the layer number remains a challenge and limits their further applications.ReS₂,as a direct bandgap semiconductor with layer-independent properties,has recently attracted much attention.In nanometer size,the properties of the ReS₂bulk,with a suitable bandgap and all visible-light harvest,can be well preserved while the specific surface area increases greatly.So it has been widely applied in the fields of photoelectrochemistry.But for further applications in other fields,a large-scale fabracation method is essential.Nonetheless,large-scale fabrication of unadulterated ReS₂ nanosheets has never been demonstrated well and its co-catalytic properties under sunlight have not been studied yet.Hence,advanced production technology is urgently required and filling the blank of ReS₂ in co-catalytic field is indispensable simultaneously.We report a suitable approach to fabricate ReS₂ nanosheets on large scale based on traditional liquid exfoliation technique in nanomaterials sciences,which can significantly improve the properties of the ReS₂ with the specific surface area increasing,thereby provide a base for further study of the ReS₂ in other fields.The main advances presented in this article:a)Compared with previous reports,ReS₂ nanosheets exhibit apparently geometric characteristic by this method and the quality of ReS₂ bulk can be preserved well.Meanwhile,the performance of ReS₂ material is improved vastly as the specific surface area growth,which brings practical significance for ReS₂ utilization in our daily life.b)A simple preparing process realizes large-scale fabrication of unadulterated ReS₂nanosheets firstly,which reduces the manufacturing and material cost greatly.In addition,the produced ReS₂ nanosheets are steady and can be easily extracted.Thus,the practicability and expansibility of ReS₂ material are advanced for further applications in other fields.c)TiO₂@ReS₂ nanocomposite,with excellent photocatalytic performance,is fabricated successfully.The mechanism of enhanced activities is illuminated well,which demonstrates the outstanding co-catalytic abilities of ReS₂ nanosheets derived from efficient visible-light absorption.Therefore,superior photoelectric properties,excellent stability and lower material cost of ReS₂ nanosheets bring possibilities for ReS₂ potential applications in other fields.