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Abstract: Titanium dioxide is a promising photocatalyst and has been widely used in many applications. However, it remains challenging to improve the photocatalytic performance of TiO2 under visible light illumination. Herein, a facile one step method was put forward to produce Mn-doped TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNTs) without the formation of manganese oxides. Intermediate band states were generated in Mn-doped TNTs, leading to enhanced visible light absorption and more efficient separation of photo-generated electron-hole pairs. The visible light photocatalysis of Mn-doped TNTs was significantly improved. The method reported here might be extended to the doping of other elements in TNTs and provides opportunities for the design of advanced photocatalysts.Graphical Abstract: Mn-doped TiO2 nanotubes were developed by a facile method without the formation of separate manganese oxides, which demonstrated significantly improved photocatalytic performance under visible light illumination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSCs) represent a promising third-generation photovoltaic technology, boasting a high theoretical efficiency of 44% and cost efficiency. However, their practical efficiency is constrained by reduced photovoltage (V oc ) and fill factor (FF). One primary reason is the inefficient charge transfer and elevated recombination rates at the counter electrode (CE). In this work, a novel CE composed of a titanium mesh loaded with Co,N─C@MoS 2 is introduced for the assembly of QDSCs. The incorporation of nanosized MoS 2 enhances the density of catalytic sites, while the Co,N─C component ensures high conductivity and provides a substantial active surface area. Additionally, the titanium mesh's 3D structure serves as an effective electrical conduit, facilitating rapid electron transfer from the external circuit to the composite. These improvements in catalytic activity, charge transfer rate, and stability of the CE significantly enhance the photovoltaic performance of QDSCs. The optimized cells achieve a groundbreaking power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 16.39%, accompanied by a short-circuit current density (J sc ) of 27.26 mA cm -2 , V oc of 0.818 V, and FF of 0.735. These results not only offer a new strategy for designing electrodes with high catalytic activity but also underscore the promising application of the Co,N─C@MoS 2 composite in enhancing QDSC technology., (© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)