Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Pollutants via MoS2-Integrated DyCrO3 Nanostructures

Abstract

Water contamination by persistent dyes and antibiotics is a major environmental concern. Here, a DyCrO³/MoS² S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst was synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method to enhance solar-light-driven degradation efficiency. Structural and electronic analyses (XRD, FESEM, TEM, XPS, UV–Vis, PL, Mott–Schottky) confirm well-dispersed MoS² nanosheets, oxygen vacancies, improved visible-light absorption, and favorable band alignment. MoS² incorporation reduced the band gap from 2.14 to 1.72 eV and prevented DyCrO³ aggregation, yielding particles of 28 ± 7 to 32 ± 12 nm. The optimized DyCrO³–MoS² (85%:15%) composite (10 mg) degraded 84.95\% of levofloxacin and 78.97% of methylene blue within 240 min, with apparent quantum yields of 37.88% and 39.59%, respectively, and strong cycle stability. Active-species trapping identified photogenerated holes as the dominant oxidants, supporting an S-scheme mechanism. These results demonstrate that MoS² engineered DyCrO³ nanostructures provide an efficient and durable platform for solar-driven wastewater purification. Keywords: S-scheme Heterojunction, DyCrO₃-MoS₂ photocatalyst, Oxygen vacancy, Apparent quantum yield.