Reusable Three-Dimensional TiO2@MoS2 Core–Shell Photoreduction Material: Designed for High-Performance Seawater Uranium Extraction

Photocatalysis offers a cost-effective and eco-friendly approach for environmental remediation, yet traditional powdered photocatalysts suffer from poor recyclability and separation challenges. To address these limitations, we developed a recyclable carbon fiber-supported composite photocatalyst (CC/TiO2 NRs@MoS2 NPs) featuring a three-dimensional hierarchical core–shell architecture. This structure comprises a TiO2 seed layer, vertically aligned TiO2 nanorod arrays as the core, and a MoS2 nanoparticle shell, fabricated via sequential deposition. Under simulated solar irradiation, the TiO2@MoS2 heterojunction exhibited significantly enhanced uranium adsorption capacity, achieving a remarkable 97.3% photocatalytic removal efficiency within 2 h. At an initial uranium concentration of 200 ppm, the material demonstrated an exceptional extraction capacity of 976.7 mg g−1, outperforming most reported photocatalysts. These findings highlight the potential of this 3D core–shell design for efficient uranium recovery and environmental purification applications.