Novel n-MoSSe/p-Co3O4 Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst for highly boosting photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic activity

Abstract

The development of stable, efficient photocatalyst for environmental antibiotics degradation is great significant and remains a major challenge. Herein, novel 2D/0D n-MoSSe/p-Co3O4 Z-scheme heterojunction catalysts (MSCO) are developed to combine the advantages of n-type MoSSe nanoplates and p-type Co3O4 nanoparticles. With an optimized Co3O4 loading ratio, the MSCO2 sample exhibited 7.8 and 28.8 times of photocurrent density more than that of pure MoSSe and Co3O4, and likewise showed 2.54 and 8.91 times of photocatalytic tetracycline hydrochloride removal rate more than that of pure MoSSe and Co3O4. Moreover, the heterojunction displayed outstanding recyclability after five cycles. The remarkably enhanced catalytic properties were mainly ascribed to the 2D/0D structure, built-in electric field between p-n heterojunction and electron transfer the Z-Scheme pathways which was helpful to promote the separation of photogenerated carriers. Additionally, the corresponding reaction pathway and photocatalytic mechanism were further elucidated by the results of the electron spin resonance (ESR) and high-pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). This research provided a new idea for the construction of Z-Scheme p-n heterojunction with 2D/0D structure in photocatalysis, photoelectrochemistry, and electrocatalysis.