Modification of Ag3VO4 with graphene-like MoS2 for enhanced visible-light photocatalytic property and stability

Abstract

Graphene-like MoS₂ photocatalysts were synthesized by the hydrothermal method. The obtained graphene-like MoS₂/Ag₃VO₄ composites were characterized using a series of techniques to determine their structures and properties. Due to elevated photogenerated electron separation and strong hole oxidizability as well as light harvesting, the obtained graphene-like MoS₂/Ag₃VO₄ composites display enhanced properties for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RhB) in comparison with pure Ag₃VO₄ under visible light illumination. The degradation kinetics of the graphene-like MoS₂/Ag₃VO₄ composites for MB and RhB were calculated to demonstrate their excellent photocatalytic activities. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) Nyquist plots were obtained to determine the electron transfer and recombination processes of the graphene-like MoS₂/Ag₃VO₄ composite. The possible photocatalytic mechanism of the graphene-like MoS₂/Ag₃VO₄ composites is proposed based on active species trapping experiments. Results show that the formative interface between graphene-like MoS₂ and Ag₃VO₄ accelerates the electron transfer performance.