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Facile and Cost‐Efficient Synthesis of Quasi‐0D/2D ZnO/MoS 2 Nanocomposites for Highly Enhanced Visible‐Light‐Driven Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants and Antibiotics
Author(s) -
Islam Sk Emdadul,
Hang DaRen,
Chen ChunHu,
Sharma Krishna Hari
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201801397
Subject(s) - photocatalysis , materials science , nanocomposite , visible spectrum , degradation (telecommunications) , nanomaterials , nanostructure , nanotechnology , exfoliation joint , chemical engineering , nanoparticle , photochemistry , graphene , catalysis , chemistry , optoelectronics , organic chemistry , telecommunications , computer science , engineering
Nanoscale transition‐metal dichalcogenide materials showed promising potential for visible‐light responsive photocatalysis. Here, we report our investigations on the synthesis of heterodimensional nanostructures of two‐dimensional (2D) ultrathin MoS 2 nanosheets interspersed with ZnO nanoparticles by using a facile two‐step method consisting of sonication‐aided exfoliation technique followed by a wet chemical process. The photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposites was examined by studying the degradation of different organic dye pollutants and tetracycline, a common antibiotic, under visible‐light irradiation. It is found that within 30 min more than 90 % of the model organic dye was photodegraded by the optimized quasi‐0D/2D hybrid nanomaterial. The reaction rate of pollutant degradation is about five and eight times higher than those of the pristine MoS 2 naonosheets and P25 photocatalysts, respectively. The outstanding photocatalytic activity of the heterodimensional hybrids can be attributed to a few beneficial features from the synergetic effects. Most importantly, the intimate junction between ZnO and MoS 2 facilitates the separation of photogenerated carriers, leading to the enhancement of photocatalytic efficiency. A tentative photocatalytic degradation mechanism was proposed and tested. Overall, the present work provides valuable insights for the exploration of cost‐effective nanoscale heterodimensional hybrids constructed from atomically thin layered materials.