Fabrication of a novel ternary heterojunction composite Ag2MoO4/Ag2S/MoS2 with significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance

Abstract

In this work, a novel ternary heterojunction composite Ag₂MoO₄/Ag₂S/MoS₂ was successfully fabricated via a facile two-step method for the first time. The results of the photocatalytic experiments toward degradation of RhB and TC showed that the as-prepared ternary composite exhibited outstanding catalytic efficiency. Compared to the photocatalytic degradation rate for Ag₂MoO₄ and Ag₂MoO₄/Ag₂S, the rate for RhB was 5 and 2 times higher and for TC was 12 and 2 times higher, respectively. The significantly enhanced catalytic efficiency can be ascribed to the formation of a ternary heterojunction with well-matched band positions, which facilitates the charge mobility and transfer, restrains the recombination of charge carriers, and increases light absorption and specific surface area. This study reveals that the photocatalytic performance of the fabricated ternary heterojunction is superior to that of a binary heterojunction, and artful integration of semiconductors to form a ternary heterojunction is an effective strategy to remarkably improve the photocatalytic performance of semiconductors. The as-prepared products present a potential application for environmental remediation.