Nanostructured LaFeO3-MoS2 for efficient photodegradation and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Abstract

Fabrication of heterogeneous photocatalysts has received increasing research interest due to their potential applications for the degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater and evolution of carbon-free hydrogen fuel via water splitting. Here, we report the photodegradation and photocatalytic hydrogen generation abilities of nanostructured LaFeO3-MoS2 photocatalyst synthesized by facile hydrothermal technique. Prior to conducting photocatalytic experiments, structural, morphological and optical properties of the nanocomposite were extensively investigated using X-ray diffraction analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy and UV-visible spectroscopy, respectively. Nanostructured LaFeO3-MoS2 photodegraded ~96% of rhodamine B dye within only 150 minutes which is considerably higher than that of LaFeO3 and commercial Degussa P25 titania nanoparticles. The LaFeO3-MoS2 nanocomposite also exhibited significantly enhanced photocatalytic efficiency in the decomposition of a colorless probe pollutant, ciprofloxacin eliminating the possibility of the dye-sensitization effect. Moreover, LaFeO3-MoS2 demonstrated superior photocatalytic activity towards solar hydrogen evolution via water splitting. Considering the band structures and contribution of reactive species, a direct Z-scheme photocatalytic mechanism is proposed to rationalize the superior photocatalytic behavior of LaFeO3-MoS2 nanocomposite.