Visible Active N-Doped TiO₂/WS₂ Heterojunction Nano Rods: Synthesis, Characterization and Photocatalytic Activity.

N-doped titania nano sheets and N-doped titania/tungsten dioxide nano rods were synthesized by two step hydrothermal method. The composition, structural, functional, morphological and optical properties of the as synthesized N-TiO₂/WS₂ hybrids were characterized by XRD, UV-DRS, PL, FE-SEM with EDAX, TEM, FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy. Surface area and thermal stability of the catalysts were analyzed by BET and TG/DTA techniques. The photocatalytic activity of the heterojunction catalyst was evaluated towards the decomposition of a harmful dye namely congo red in an aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. The results show superior photocatalytic activity for N-TiO₂/WS₂ nanocomposite. This unusual photocatalytic activity is attributed to the synergistic effect between WS₂ and N-TiO₂.