Fabrication of Z-scheme Ag3PO4/MoS2 composites with enhanced photocatalytic activity and stability for organic pollutant degradation

Abstract

In this study, highly efficient visible-light-driven Ag3PO4/MoS2 composite photocatalysts with different weight ratios of MoS2 were prepared via the ethanol-water mixed solvents precipitation method and characterized by ICP, XRD, HRTEM, FE-SEM, BET, XPS, UV–vis DRS and PL analysis. Under visible-light irradiation, Ag3PO4/MoS2 composites exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity towards the degradation of organic pollutants in aqueous solution. The optimal composite with 0.648wt% MoS2 content exhibits the highest photocatalytic activity, which can degrade almost all MB under visible-light irradiation within 60min. Recycling experiments confirmed that the Ag3PO4/MoS2 catalysts had superior cycle performance and stability. The photocatalytic activity enhancement of Ag3PO4/MoS2 photocatalysts can be mainly ascribed to the efficient separation of photogenerated charge carriers and the stronger oxidation and reduction ability through a Z-scheme system composed of Ag3PO4, Ag and MoS2, in which Ag particles act as the charge separation center. The high photocatalytic stability is due to the successful inhibition of the photocorrosion of Ag3PO4 by transferring the photogenerated electrons of Ag3PO4 to MoS2. The evidence of the Z-scheme photocatalytic mechanism of the composite photocatalysts could be obtained from the active species trapping experiments and the photoluminescence technique.