Construction of flower-like MoS2/Fe3O4/rGO composite with enhanced photo-Fenton like catalyst performance

Abstract

High-performance and recyclable photocatalysts have attracted considerable amounts of attention for use in wastewater treatment. In this paper, a MoS₂/Fe₃O₄/rGO (0.1 wt%) composite was synthesized by an environmentally-friendly and facile strategy, and showed high potential for recyclability. The nanocomposite exhibited high photocatalytic activity in the presence of H₂O₂ and rGO (reduced graphene oxide) under visible-light irradiation. Notably, when 3 mg of MoS₂/Fe₃O₄/rGO (0.1 wt%) was added to rhodamine B (RhB, 30 mg L⁻¹) solution, the degradation rate was almost 100% within 40 min at neutral pH under visible-light irradiation. This rate was four times more rapid than that of MoS₂ and double that of MoS₂/Fe₃O₄. The results indicate that rGO plays an important role in photocatalysis by suppressing the recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and enhancing the absorption capability of visible-light and organic dyes. Finally, the photocatalytic and stability mechanisms of MoS₂/Fe₃O₄/rGO (0.1 wt%) are proposed. This work further helps our understanding of the photo-Fenton mechanism. Furthermore, the synthesis of this composite has potential for application in energy storage devices.