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In 2 S 3 / branched TiO 2 nanorods (br-TiO 2) heterostructure was prepared by a simple route using three-step methods as a visible and solar light photocatalyst for water treatment applications. Structural properties have been carried out by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy has been used to determine the morphology and the surface roughness of samples. The In 2 S 3 / br-TiO 2 heterojunction confirm the presence of both structures of Rutile TiO 2 and cubic β-In 2 S 3. Optical results showed that the heterojunction exhibited increased absorption ability in the visible light, indicating an increased photoactivity for In 2 S 3 / br-TiO 2 in the visible light. Wettability studies reveal that In 2 S 3 / br-TiO 2 film is superhydrophilic with water contact angle of 0°. Photocatalytic activity of heterojunction In 2 S 3 / br-TiO 2 was assessed with remarkable degradability performance of 85% after 80 min under solar irradiation. The reusability test highlighted that the In 2 S 3 / br-TiO 2 still maintained high photocatalytic activity over five cycles. The photoelectrochemical activity was evaluated. The results showed the successful development of In 2 S 3 / br-TiO 2 heterostructure with better photoactivity properties. The In 2 S 3 / br-TiO 2 electrode achieved remarkably improved current density (0.59 mA.cm2 at 0.6 V vs Ag/AgCl) compared to br-TiO 2 and In 2 S 3. These results reveal that In 2 S 3 / br-TiO 2 thin films being excellent photoactivity along with its superhydrophilic nature which it is possesses great potential toward the development of newly synthesizable catalysts in the field of water purification. • br-TiO 2 , In 2 S 3 , In 2 S 3 / br-TiO 2 thin films were prepared by a cost-effective hydrothermal method and chemical bath deposition • Excellent light harvesting capabilities of In 2 S 3 br-TiO 2 heterostructure • In 2 S 3 / br-TiO 2 thin films show superhydrophilic character • High performance photocatalytic activity of heterostructure up to 85% after 80 min under solar irradiation. • The PEC performance of In 2 S 3 / br-TiO 2 is greatly improved compared to those of br-TiO 2 and In 2 S 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • MoS 2 nanosheets were successfully deposited onto silicon nanowires (SiNWs) through hydrothermal process. • The MoS 2 /SiNWs heterostructure have been successfully prepared by combing hydrothermal and metal assisted chemical etching processes. • MoS 2 /SiNWs heterostructure exhibited an improvement of photocatalytic degradation of MB under visible light irradiation. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2) is weakly stacked by vander Waals force, and the interaction force between the layers of MoS 2 and Silicon is weak. Therefore, direct growth of homogeneous high quality MoS 2 films on silicon substrates stays challenging. Herein, for the first time, few layered MoS 2 nanosheetswere successfully deposited onto silicon nanowires (SiNWs) through hydrothermal process. First, as prepared MoS 2 /SiNWs heterostructure was characterized by using Raman spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and by means of the Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Second, the photocatalytic activity ofsynthesizedMoS 2 /SiNWs photocatalyst was systematically evaluated for the decoloration of methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation. It was found that MoS 2 /SiNWs heterostructure exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity against this dye compared with synthesized SiNWs films. Also, it was found that after irradiation during 180 min, the MoS 2 /SiNWs film exhibited the highest photocatalytic efficiency (90%), in comparison to SiNWs (62%). Finally, it is assumed that the photocatalytic activity improvement was attributed to visible light absorption improvement, the enhancement of the photogenerated electron-hole pair's separation efficiency. Moreover, thanks to the nanoflowers structure assembled by nanosheets with few layers, the specific surface area was increased offering more sites for MB pollutant adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]