Application of MoS2/reduced graphene oxide for photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B in water environment

Abstract

In this study, MoS2 was composited with RGO (the reduced form of graphene oxide) for enhancing the photocatalytic degradation of RhB in aqueous solution by applying visible light irradiation. A new approach to synthesize graphene was applied by reduction of graphene oxide using ascorbic acid. Factors affecting the photocatalytic degradation including pH, initial rhodamine B concentration, light source intensity and quencher existence were investigated. The results showed that MoS2/RGO composite exhibited better photocatalytic activity in the degradation of RhB (with a conversion of 80 %) compared to pure MoS2 (with a conversion of 30.8 %) under visible light irradiation. The higher photocatalytic performance of MoS2/RGO was found in slight acidic environment. Among the tested free radical killers, ammonium oxalate revealed the most significant effect on the photocatalytic degradation of RhB.This research also indicated that MoS2/RGO composite can be considered as a potential catalyst for the degradation of persistent organic dyes in wastewater.