Charge Separation Effects Research Articles

Gallium-doped titania nanotubes as advanced photocatalysts and biopesticides: a path to water purification and vector control

AbstractThe release of Rose Bengal (RB) dye poses a significant threat to aquatic ecosystems, necessitating sustainable water treatment solutions. This study introduces a novel photocatalytic approach utilizing titania nanotubes (TNTs) doped with varying contents of gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃, 0–5%) via a hydrothermal method. Characterization techniques, including FTIR, XRD, TEM, SEM, EDX, and XPS, confirmed the formation of nanotubular structures with enhanced surface area and defect states. The total organic carbon (TOC) measurement indicated effective mineralization of RB dye. Among the synthesized photocatalysts, the 1% Gallium-doped titania nanotubes (Ga-doped TNTs) achieved optimal RB degradation, decomposing 97% of the dye within 110 min under UV illumination, owing to improved charge separation and synergistic effects between Ga and TNTs. Furthermore, Ga-doped TNTs demonstrated superior efficacy in mosquito control, with 100% larvicidal mortality observed at 400 °C compared with only 57.2% for TNTs. Similarly, the pupicidal mortality rate at 72 h increased from 26.2% (TNTs) to 60.8% (Ga-doped TNTs-400). The findings emphasize the dual functionality of Ga-doped TNTs as efficient photocatalysts for water purification and eco-friendly biopesticides, presenting a promising strategy for environmental remediation and vector control.

Chiral Nematic Cellulose Nanocrystal Films for Enhanced Charge Separation and Quantum-Confined Stark Effect.

Efficient charge separation is essential in various optoelectronic systems, yet it continues to pose substantial challenges. Building upon the recent evidence that chiral biomolecules can function as electron spin filters, this study aims to extend the application of chirality-driven charge separation from the molecular level to the mesoscale and supramolecular scale. Utilizing cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) derived from cellulose, the most abundant biomaterial on Earth, this research leverages their self-assembly into chiral nematic structures and their dielectric properties. A device is introduced featuring a chiral nematic hybrid film composed of CNCs and quantum dots (QDs), decorated with iron oxide nanoparticles. Using the quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE) to probe charge separation, we reveal significant sensitivity to the circular polarization of light and the chiral nematic structure of the film. This approach achieves effective, long-lasting charge separation, both locally and across length scales exceeding 1 μm, enabling potential applications such as self-assembled devices that combine photovoltaic cells with electric capacitance as well as optical electric-field hybrid biosensors.

Synthesis of Fe2O3/TiO2 Photocatalytic Composites for Methylene Blue Degradation as a Novel Strategy for High-Value Utilisation of Iron Scales.

In this study, novel Fe2O3/TiO2 photocatalytic composites were synthesised by combining traditional oxidation roasting with the sol-gel method, using low-cost metallurgical waste (iron scales) as the raw material. The characterisation results revealed that the oxidised iron scales could be transformed into high-purity and porous Fe2O3 particles through oxidation roasting, thereby providing additional sites for the adsorption process and thus serving as an effective carrier for TiO2-based photocatalytic materials. During the sol-gel process, TiO2 was loaded onto the synthesised Fe2O3 particles, generating core-shell heterostructure Fe2O3/TiO2 photocatalytic composites. Under visible light irradiation for 90 min, the Fe2O3/TiO2 photocatalytic composites achieved a remarkable methylene blue removal rate (97.71%). This reaction process followed the quasi-first-order kinetic model with a rate constant of 0.038 min-1. The results have demonstrated that this combination of various components in the Fe2O3/TiO2 photocatalytic composites improved the adsorption, light utilisation, and charge separation effect of the photocatalysts. Moreover, the material exhibited favourable stability and recyclability, making it a decent candidate for the treatment of wastewater from the biochemical industry. Therefore, this study provides a new strategy for improving the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 and expanding the high value-added utilisation of iron scales.

High‐Performance P‐N Junction Heterostructure with Carbon Quantum Dot and Nitrogen Self‐Doped Graphitic Carbon Nitride for Visible Light Photodetection

AbstractOrganic photodetectors (OPDs) hold immense promise for optoelectronic applications. Here a zero‐biased, high‐performance organic photodetector employing a 2D organic heterostructure is introduced. The structure combines carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with nitrogen self‐doped graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4+) and is tested for alternating current (AC) photodetection on an interdigitated electrode platform. The study reveals extraordinary performance driven by the synergistic effects of efficient charge excitation, separation, and emission within the 2D/2D CQD/g‐C3N4+ heterostructure, leveraging mechanisms of photoconduction, photogating, and fluorescence. A unique convergence to similar rise and decay times in the order of 2.9 ms is observed at higher frequencies in the visible (Vis) spectrum. Benchmarking against state‐of‐the‐art OPDs shows ultrahigh specific detectivity (4.60 × 1018 Jones), ultrahigh responsivity (1.43 × 107 A W−1), high external quantum efficiency (43 × 107%) at an optical intensity of 3.56 × 10−4 mW cm−2 and a wavelength of 405 nm while delivering competitive performance at 532 and 635 nm as well. Moreover, a large linear dynamic range of 86–162 dB in the Vis spectrum is obtained. These enhancements promise development of a new generation of OPDs to advance light sensing and imaging applications at high frequency, marking a significant milestone in optoelectronic device engineering.

Synergistic effect of NiO-loaded gold NPs modified exfoliated graphitic carbon nitride (E-gC3N4) with the role of hot electrons and hole scavengers for boosting solar hydrogen production

The photocatalytic hydrogen production capabilities of a well-designed NiO–Au loaded exfoliated graphitic carbon nitride (E-gC3N4) were evaluated after it was synthesized in a straightforward, template-free, single-step process. This study delves into the synergistic impact of utilizing exfoliated g-C3N4 (E-gC3N4) loaded with NiO to trap electrons and plasmonic Au to elevate solar-driven H2 evolution through the surface plasmon resonance effect. Using 2 % NiO/E-gC3N4 and 0.3 % Au/E-gC3N4 samples, the H2 yield of 2620 and 2725 μmol g−1, were obtained, which were 25 and 26 folds higher than using bulk g-C3N4, respectively. The highest photocatalytic H2 production of 4750 μmol g−1 was obtained with 1 % NiO-0.3 % Au/E-gC3N4, which was 1.74, 1.81 and 45.24-fold more than it was produced with 0.3 % Au/E-gC3N4, 2 % NiO/E-gC3N4 and bulk g-C3N4 samples, respectively. Increased visible light absorption and charge production due to the SPR effect of Au and efficient charge separation due to NiO co-catalyst led to an increase in H2 generation. The composite was also stable for the consecutive four cycles, in which continuous H2 evolution was obtained. This novel strategy offers promise for synthesizing effective composites for visible-light-driven H2 evolution.

Highly efficient Cr(VI) photoreduction by C/N vacancies and hydroxyl co-modified g-C3N4: The new insight into the key role of citric acid

Photocatalysis is an energy-efficient and environment-friendly method to reduce Cr(VI) in water. The rapid spatial separation of photogenerated electrons and holes is still full of challenge. Microenvironment regulation of photocatalyst is a promising strategy. In this work, defined C- and N-vacancies were simultaneously successfully introduced to g-C3N4, accompanied by surface hydroxyl modification. Unlike traditional bulk g-C3N4, constructing C-/N- defects and surface hydroxyl can significantly improve the surface-interface microenvironment, thus leads to the enhanced photocurrent density and efficient charge separation. In a citric acid involved solution, the apparent rate constant of CN-160 for Cr(VI) photoreduction under visible light irradiation (λ ≥420 nm) reaches up to 2.02×10−2 min−1, which is 3.89-fold higher compared to bulk g-C3N4. While there is almost no photoactivity in the absence of citric acid. The experimental and DFT calculations results show that C- and N-vacancies and surface OH can significantly promote the charge transfer from g-C3N4 to citric acid, and subsequently to Cr(VI). Most importantly, citric acid not only plays a vital role of charge transfer bridge between Cr(VI) and g-C3N4, but also provides H proton to activate Cr(VI) as well as adjusts the solution pH values. All of these finally facilitate the photoreduction activity of Cr(VI). This study firstly demonstrates the definite role of citric acid during photocatalysis and provides a deep insight into the microenvironment regulation on the effect of charge separation.

Improving photocatalytic hydrogen generation of g-C3N4 via efficient charge separation imposed by Bi2O2Se nanosheets

Enabling highly efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production from solar-driven water splitting is of immense potential and environmental significance. However, the crucial issue of the low utilization efficiency of photogenerated charges in most photocatalysts, such as polymeric graphitic carbon nitride, g-C3N4 (CN), hampers the overall photocatalytic activity and hinders practical applications. To surmount this parasitic phenomenon, we develop a heterojunction-based strategy that improves the charge separation efficiency in CN. The heterostructure is constructed between thermally exfoliated CN and liquid phase exfoliated Bi2O2Se (BOS) via a solution-phase, electrostatically driven self-assembly process. The properly aligned band positions between the two components create a built-in electric field, which endows the composite with an enhanced charge separation efficiency. The optimized Pt-deposited heterostructure photocatalyst exhibits a hydrogen production rate of 6481 μmol h−1 g−1, and an apparent quantum efficiency of 11.65% at 420 nm, compared to those of Pt-deposited ECN (4595 μmol h−1 g−1, 6.64 %). We validate the efficient charge separation effect and the prolonged lifetime of photogenerated carriers in the heterostructure using a series of comprehensive characterizations across multiple timescales, thus, elucidating the origin of the observed photocatalytic activity. This demonstration offers valuable insights into improving the utilization efficiency of photogenerated charges for photocatalysis by heterostructure engineering with materials of distinct electronic configurations.

Electric-field-induced colour switching in colloidal quantum dot molecules at room temperature.

Colloidal semiconductor quantum dots are robust emitters implemented in numerous prototype and commercial optoelectronic devices. However, active fluorescence colour tuning, achieved so far by electric-field-induced Stark effect, has been limited to a small spectral range, and accompanied by intensity reduction due to the electron-hole charge separation effect. Utilizing quantum dot molecules that manifest two coupled emission centres, we present a unique electric-field-induced instantaneous colour-switching effect. Reversible emission colour switching without intensity loss is achieved on a single-particle level, as corroborated by correlated electron microscopy imaging. Simulations establish that this is due to the electron wavefunction toggling between the two centres, induced by the electric field, and affected by the coupling strength. Quantum dot molecules manifesting two coupled emission centres may be tailored to emit distinct colours, opening the path for sensitive field sensing and colour-switchable devices such as a novel pixel design for displays or an electric-field-induced colour-tunable single-photon source.

Cuprous oxide core-shell heterostructure facilely encapsulated by cadmium metal organic frameworks for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen generation

Light absorption and separation of photo-generated electrons and holes are important to photocatalytic hydrogen evolution of a photocatalyst. Herein, a special metal organic framework (MOFs) was fabricated by encapsulating of 2-methylimidazole and cadmium nitrate on the silica coated cuprous oxide (Cu2O/SiO2/CdIF). The structure, morphology, composition, and valence state of the obtained materials were analyzed. It was demonstrated that the core-shell Cu2O/SiO2/CdIF heterostructure was achieved. Also, the photocatalytic activity and stability of H2 generation over the Cu2O/SiO2/CdIF nanocomposite were investigated. Interestingly, the Cu2O/SiO2/CdIF nanocomposite exhibited high activity which was hardly changed after five recycles. By means of Raman spectra, solid diffuse reflection UV–vis spectra, photoelectric response, and interfacial resistance, it was shown that higher light absorption, efficient charge separation and strong synergistic effect among the components in the heterostructure were responsible to the enhanced performance in the Cu2O/SiO2/CdIF nanocomposite.

Highly efficient photocatalytic conversion of CO2 into CH4 over Cu single atom promoted heterojunction: The effect of uplifted d-band center

Photoreduction of CO2 to solar fuels has caused great interest, but suffers from low catalytic efficiency and poor selectivity. Herein, we designed a S-scheme heterojunction (Cu-TiO2/WO3) with Cu single atom to significantly boost the photoreduction of CO2. Notably, the developed Cu-TiO2/WO3 achieved the solar-driven conversion of CO2 to CH4 with an evolution rate of 98.69 µmol g−1 h−1, and the electron selectivity of CH4 reached 88.5%. The yield was much higher than those of pristine WO3, TiO2/WO3 and Cu-TiO2 samples. Experimental and theoretical analysis suggested that the S-scheme heterojunction accelerated charge migration and inhibited the recombination of electron-hole pairs. Importantly, the charge separation effect of the heterojunction meliorated the position of the d-band. The uplifted d-band centers of Cu and Ti on Cu-TiO2/WO3 not only improved the electron interaction between Cu single atoms and substrate-TiO2, accelerated the adsorption and activation of CO2 on the active sites of Cu single atom, but also optimized the Gibbs free energies of CH4 formation pathway, leading to excellent selectivity toward CH4. This work provides new insights into the design of photocatalyst systems with high photocatalytic performance.

Effect of ground state charge transfer and photoinduced charge separation on the energy level alignment at metal halide perovskite/organic charge transport layer interfaces

One of the most promising routes for the future fabrication of solution-processable high-performance solar cells is to employ metal halide perovskites as photoactive material combined with organic semiconductors as charge extraction layers. An essential requirement to obtain high device performance is a proper energy level alignment across the device interfaces. Here, we investigate the interface between a triple cation perovskite and a prototypical electron acceptor molecule. Photoemission spectroscopy reveals a ground state charge transfer induced band bending on either side of the junction, which significantly alters the charge extraction barriers as compared to assumed vacuum level alignment and flat-band conditions. In addition, we demonstrate that upon white light illumination, the energy levels of the organic layer exhibit rigid shifts by up to 0.26 eV with respect to those of the perovskite, revealing a non-constant energy offset between the frontier energy levels of the two materials. Such level shifts of the organic transport layer are fully reversible upon switching on/off the light, indicating an electrostatic origin of this phenomenon caused by unbalanced distribution of photogenerated charge carriers. We therefore stress the importance of determining the energy level alignment at perovskite-based interfaces not only in the electronic ground state (dark) but also under device operating conditions (operando) to enable for a reliable correlation with the device performance.

Engineering Single Cu Sites into Covalent Organic Framework for Selective Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction.

Photocatalytic CO2 conversion into value-added chemicals is a promising route but remains challenging due to poor product selectivity. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) as an emerging class of porous materials are considered aspromising candidates for photocatalysis. Incorporating metallic sites into COF is a successful strategy to realize high photocatalytic activities. Herein, 2,2'-bipyridine-based COF bearing non-noble single Cu sites is fabricated by chelating coordination of dipyridyl units for photocatalytic CO2 reduction. The coordinated single Cu sites not only significantly enhance light harvesting and accelerate electron-hole separation but also provide adsorption and activation sites for CO2 molecules. As a proof of concept, the Cu-Bpy-COF as a representative catalyst exhibits superior photocatalytic activity for reducing CO2 to CO and CH4 without photosensitizer, and impressively, the product selectivity of CO and CH4 can be readily modulated only by changing reaction media. Experimental and theoretical results reveal the crucial role of single Cu sites in promoting photoinduced charge separation and solvent effect in regulating product selectivity, which provides an important sight onto the design of COF photocatalysts for selective CO2 photoreduction.

Constructing trinary heterostructure of TiO2/CoCr2O4/SrTiO3 to enhance photocatalytic activity toward degradation of yellow 28 dye

Today, the design of efficient visible light-driven photocatalytic systems for the degradation of organic dyes is of great interest in human health and environmental protection. Constructing heterostructured nanocomposites using coupling metal oxide semiconductors with visible-light-responsive photocatalytic materials is an effective strategy to improve the photocatalytic potential. For this purpose, a trinary TiO2/CoCr2O4/SrTiO3 heterostructured photocatalyst with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity was fabricated using the intimate interfacial contact of TiO2/SrTiO3 nanotubes with CoCr2O4 nanoparticles. Compared with single or binary photocatalysts, trinary TiO2/CoCr2O4/SrTiO3 nanocomposite demonstrated enhanced photocatalytic activity and cycling stability in the degradation of basic yellow 28 (BY28) dye under visible-light irradiation. The optimal TiO2/CoCr2O4/SrTiO3 nanocomposite degraded almost 99% of BY28 under visible light in 2 h, compared to approximately 37%, 66%, and 71% for the SrTiO3 nanorods, CoCr2O4 nanoparticles, and TiO2 nanotubes, respectively. This superior photocatalytic performance can be ascribed to the synergistic effects of elevated photon absorption, charge transfer, and efficient charge separation. In addition, the probable mechanism for the degradation of BY28 dye over TiO2/CoCr2O4/SrTiO3 nanocomposite is also elucidated using PL and active species scavenger studies.

Rich Landscape of Colloidal Semiconductor-Metal Hybrid Nanostructures: Synthesis, Synergetic Characteristics, and Emerging Applications.

Nanochemistry provides powerful synthetic tools allowing one to combine different materials on a single nanostructure, thus unfolding numerous possibilities to tailor their properties toward diverse functionalities. Herein, we review the progress in the field of semiconductor-metal hybrid nanoparticles (HNPs) focusing on metal-chalcogenides-metal combined systems. The fundamental principles of their synthesis are discussed, leading to a myriad of possible hybrid architectures including Janus zero-dimensional quantum dot-based systems and anisotropic quasi 1D nanorods and quasi-2D platelets. The properties of HNPs are described with particular focus on emergent synergetic characteristics. Of these, the light-induced charge-separation effect across the semiconductor-metal nanojunction is of particular interest as a basis for the utilization of HNPs in photocatalytic applications. The extensive studies on the charge-separation behavior and its dependence on the HNPs structural characteristics, environmental and chemical conditions, and light excitation regime are surveyed. Combining the advanced synthetic control with the charge-separation effect has led to demonstration of various applications of HNPs in different fields. A particular promise lies in their functionality as photocatalysts for a variety of uses, including solar-to-fuel conversion, as a new type of photoinitiator for photopolymerization and 3D printing, and in novel chemical and biomedical uses.

Cationic metal-organic framework with charge separation effect as a high output triboelectric nanogenerator material for self-powered anticorrosion.

New stable frictional materials based on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are greatly desired for applications in self-powered systems. This work reports an ionic MOF material with efficient charge separation mediated by charge induction. ZUT-iMOF-1(Cu) is chemically stable and its triboelectric output performance surpasses those of traditional MOF materials. The short-circuit current of the iMOF triboelectric nanogenerator is 73.79 μA at 5 Hz. The output performance remains stable over 50 000 cycles of continuous operation. The charge and power densities peak at 123.20 μC m-2 and 3133.23 mW m-2. Owing to its high output performance, ZUT-iMOF-1(Cu) effectively prevents metal corrosion in cathodic-protection systems. Theoretical calculations show that increasing the charge-separation effect promotes the frictional electricity generation behaviour. This study provides research suggestions for ionic MOF frictional materials and will promote their application in self-powered electrochemical cathodic-protection systems.

UV-Visible photo-reactivity of permanently polarized inorganic nanotubes coupled to gold nanoparticles.

Hybrid aluminosilicate nanotubes (Imo-CH3) have the ability to trap small organic molecules inside their hydrophobic internal cavity while being dispersed in water owing to their hydrophilic external surface. They also display a curvature-induced polarization of their wall, which favors reduction outside the nanotubes and oxidation inside. Here, we coupled bare plasmonic gold nanoparticles (GNPs) with Imo-CH3 and analyzed for the first time the redox reactivity of these hybrid nano-reactors upon UV illumination. We show that the coupling between GNPs and Imo-CH3 significantly enhances the nanotube photocatalytic activity, with a large part of water reduction occurring directly on the gold surface. The coupling mechanism strongly influences the initial H2 production rate, which can go from ×10 to more than ×90 as compared to bare Imo-CH3 depending on the synthesis route of the GNPs. The present results show that this hybrid photocatalytic nano-reactor benefits from a synergy of polarization and confinement effects that facilitate efficient H2 production.

A promoted charge separation/transfer and surface plasmon resonance effect synergistically enhanced photocatalytic performance in Cu nanoparticles and single-atom Cu supported attapulgite/polymer carbon nitride photocatalyst

The Cu nanoparticles and single-atom Cu-supported attapulgite/polymer carbon nitride (PCN) photocatalyst was successfully synthesized via a calcination process. The C≡N triple bond defect structure was successfully introduced into PCN structure through the composite process of modified attapulgite and PCN, suppressing the recombination of photogenerated electrons, narrowed the bandgap, and improved the efficiency of photocatalytic. The photoluminescence spectra, time-resolved fluorescence spectra, and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectra together with theoretical calculation revealed that the doping of single-atom Cu further promoted the separation of photogenerated carriers and reduced the bandgap. The surface plasmon resonance effect produced by Cu nanoparticles and the promoted charge separation and transfer effect of single-atom Cu synergistically enhance the photocatalytic performance, and the degradation rate toward methylene blue dye was 7.7 times higher than that of PCN. Compared with the traditional single-method modified PCN catalyst, the catalyst prepared by this cocktail-like multi-composite strategy has the characteristics of high charge separation efficiency, high catalytic efficiency, and high stability.

Solid waste derived nanocomposite of Ag (0) loaded Fe2O3-SiO2 for solar power degradation of antibiotics

The utilization of solid waste (red mud) from aluminum industries is a major challenge to the scientific community. The main content in red mud is iron. Removal of iron from the red mud as hematite (Fe2O3) by hydrometallurgical route and the surface modification through a co-catalyst for degradation of antibiotics was focused in the present work. The extracted Fe2O3 was embedded with SiO2 to increase the surface area and then different weight percentage of Ag was impregnated onto the surface of Fe2O3-SiO2 as a co-catalyst. Different characterized techniques like XRD, BET, SEM, XPS, PL, EIS, M−S were used to evaluate the surface morphological and electrochemical properties of the composite. From the XRD, the observed peaks were indexed in agreement with the rhombohedral (hexagonal) structure of α-Fe2O3 with lattice constants of a = 0.5034 nm, and b = 1.75 nm. From BET, it is seen that the surface area of extracted α-Fe2O3 from red mud is found out to be 13.204 m2/g and it was increased (230.318 m2/g) after modification with SiO2 again after impregnation of Ag onto the surface of Fe2O3-SiO2 surface area slightly decreased (203.972 m2/g) because of pore blocking. From the band gap energy, it confirmed that all the materials reveal the visible light active photocatalyst. Due to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of Ag (0), more polarized light was absorbed by the catalyst and created a Schottky barrier at the junction and favored the charge separation and increased the photocatalytic efficiency. 3 % Ag (0) loaded over Fe2O3-SiO2 illustrated the highest ciprofloxacin (CIP) degradation (94 %) under solar light irradiation. The synergism between Fe2O3-SiO2 and Ag, Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) effect of Ag (0), charge separation and reduction in electron-hole recombination were major cause of improvement of CIP degradation under visible light.

The enhanced photocatalystic activity in FeS/WS2 nanosheets with a charge separation effect

FeS/WS2 nanocomposites were synthesized by sulfurizing Fe2O3/WO3 powders obtained by a hydrothermal method. Many WS2 nanosheets with a thickness of less than 5 nm are scattered from a same center to form a flower-like microsphere while these FeS nanoparticles are attached to these WS2 nanosheets. When used as the photocatalyst, these FeS/WS2 nanocomposites have excellent activity under UV irradiation, which can be attributed to the large specific surface area and the charge separation effect in these two materials. So this paper shows a simple method to synthesize two-dimensional sulfide heterojunction for effective photocatalysis.

Synergetic effect of cobalt phosphide cocatalyst modified molybdenum disulfide for boosting photocatalytic performance

BackgroundMolybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has received extensive attention in environmental remediation due to its unique two-dimensional lamellar structure and high specific area. To further improve the photocatalytic performance of MoS2, supported co-catalysts have been proven to be one of the effective modification measures. MethodsThe composite photocatalyst CoP/MoS2 was prepared by a facile self-assembly method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the successful loading of CoP onto the MoS2 surface. The UV-vis results showed that the MoS2 modified by CoP had enhanced absorption capacity for visible light. The photoelectric performance test showed that the synergistic effect of CoP and MoS2 promoted the charge transfer between them and reduced the charge recombination rate. Significant findingsThe CoP/MoS2 composite photocatalyst exhibits a high degradation rate under visible light irradiation. The degradation rate of MBT can reach 97.2% within 80 min, which is 1.6 times that of the original MoS2 photocatalyst. This is mainly due to the efficient charge separation and synergistic effect of CoP and MoS2. The possible decomposition intermediates, photocatalytic pathways and mechanisms are also proposed. This work provides a valuable strategy for developing other semiconductors as co-catalysts to modify MoS2 for efficient photocatalytic applications.