Investigating the role of MoS2/reduced graphene oxide as cocatalyst on Cu2O activity in catalytic and photocatalytic reactions

Abstract

In this study, MoS₂/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was used as a cocatalyst to synthesize very highly efficient Cu₂O/MoS₂/rGO for cooperative catalytic applications. The resulting nanocomposite was characterized by various analytical techniques and applied for catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol and photocatalytic degradation of Acid blue 92. Cu₂O/MoS₂/rGO composite presents superior performance to pure Cu₂O particles in both catalytic and photocatalytic reactions. This excellent activity demonstrates synergistic effect of MoS₂/rGO as a cocatalyst in the nanocomposite. The role of the active sites in the reduction of 4-NP and degradation of dye was discussed and kinetics and mechanism of reactions were investigated.