TiO2/Zn0.5Cd0.5S heterojunction for efficient photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and its photocatalytic mechanism

The synthesis and design of low-cost visible-light-active catalysts for the photodegradation of organic dyes have been regarded as an efficient way to use solar energy in addressing environmental issues. We report the fabrication of MoS2/CdS nanoparticles functionalized with Bi2S3 nanoflakes. The ternary composites of “MoS2/CdS/Bi2S3” were synthesized in situ by a hydrothermal method at different temperatures. The changes in structural, optical, and morphological properties of the synthesized CdS/MoS2/Bi2S3 were explored. The effects of Bi2S3 on CdS/MoS2 were thoroughly studied by performing an X-ray diffractometer (XRD), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), an ultra-violet–visible spectrometer (Uv–vis), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic (FT-IR) studies of the nanoparticles. XRD confirms the cubical crystal structure of the nanoparticles. SEM studies possess the modulation in the surface morphology with the tenability in volume ratios of “MoS2/CdS/Bi2S3” composites. It was observed that the bandgaps calculated using absorption measurements could be manipulated from 2.40 eV to 0.97 eV with varying Bi2S3 in the MoS2/CdS nanostructures. FT-IR confirmed the synthesis of “MoS2/CdS/Bi2S3” nanoparticles. On allowing the visible light to fall for 120 min, it was observed that “MoS2/CdS/Bi2S3” degrades the methylene blue up to 90%. The calculated results of “MoS2/CdS/Bi2S3” suggest that the synthesized material could be a strong candidate for photodegradation applications. This research work explains the synthesis of MoS2/CdS/Bi2S3-based nanocomposites for the degradation of dye using a photocatalytic process. The final results show that this catalyst effectively degrades the dye.

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“…The succeeding Equations (1)–(8) recapitulate the overall deterioration process as demonstrated graphically in Figure 10 [ 15 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The recombination impact of carriers further reduces the photocatalytic efficiency, yet a modest number of flaws are still virtually inadequate to improve the absorption of visible light radiation [ 14 , 15 ]. The reduced CdS (Cds-x) shows excellent visible light absorption and possesses a Cd 2+ or sulfur vacancy defect.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%