Effect of Mo2C content on the structure and photocatalytic property of Mo2C/TiO2 catalysts

Abstract Mo 2 C loaded nano-anatase TiO 2 (Mo 2 C/TiO 2 ) photocatalysts with various weight percents of Mo 2 C were successfully prepared by temperature-programmed reaction and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (UV–vis DRS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photoelectrochemical (PEC) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area measurements. Photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) and phenol as well as photocatalytic H 2 evolution over Mo 2 C/TiO 2 samples was investigated under UV light irradiation. The results show that the Mo 2 C/TiO 2 photocatalysts exhibit a coexistence of both hexagonal Mo 2 C and anatase TiO 2 phases. The 0.54% Mo 2 C/TiO 2 catalyst not only exhibits higher photocatalytic activity but also presents higher resistance to sulfur poisoning as compared to either pure anatase TiO 2 or reference 0.54% Pd/TiO 2 catalyst. The remarkably enhanced photocatalytic activity can be mainly attributed to the fact that the Mo 2 C improves the multiple electron transference to O 2 , which reduces the recombination of electron–hole pairs. The mechanism of photocatalytic activity enhancement was also investigated.