MoSe2, a significant component within the class of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), boasts diverse photocatalysis characteristics. Herein, this research focuses on the hydrothermal approach to fabricate and thoroughly characterize Molybdenum diselenide (MoSe2) nanoparticles and Manganese dioxide (MnO2) nanoflakes as their co-catalyst with controllable morphologies size and enhanced photocatalytic activity. The samples were advanced characterizations such as SEM and HR-TEM to examine morphology, Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) to validate phase and crystal structure, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for analysing functional groups and bonds, and XPS for insights into elemental composition and chemical state of the nanocomposite. Due to the efficient separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs facilitated by the rapid transfer of electrons by the addition of MnO2 and MoSe2/MnO2 nanocomposite demonstrates significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance and excellent stability in Direct Yellow (DY), a common pollutant found in industrial effluents. The MoSe2/MnO2 nanocomposite photocatalytic activity was 1.2–1.6 times higher than that of its individual components of MoSe2 and MnO2, indicating synergistic effects leading to enhanced performance. Consequently, this study illustrates that the MoSe2/MnO2 nanocomposite effectively degrades direct yellow dye under base conditions through photocatalysis.
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