Construction of ternary heterojunction AgI/C--MoS₂ nanosheets with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic property and self-cleaning performance

Abstract

Carbon–molybdenum disulfide (C–MoS₂) ultrathin nanosheets were prepared by a hydrothermal process, and then AgI/C–MoS₂ were synthesized via an in-situ deposition method. This ternary heterojunction composite exhibited better photocatalytic activity compared with those of one-component (pristine MoS₂) and bi-component (AgI/MoS₂ and C–MoS₂) materials for the degradation of organic dyes under the visible-light irradiation. In particular, by comparing with AgI/MoS₂, the significant role of conductive amorphous carbon in AgI/C–MoS₂ in enhancing the charge transfer during the photocatalytic degradation of dyes was first confirmed by photocurrent response and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). A possible photocatalytic mechanism was proposed based on the capture experiment results. Furthermore, a straightforward and interesting way had been applied to test the recycled/newly-prepared AgI/C–MoS₂ composite for revealing its distinctive self-cleaning performance and recyclability characteristic besides its good photocatalytic activity. This work could provide a reference for the design of other new ternary heterojunction composite materials with special structures and properties.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

AgI/C--MoS ₂ / ternary heterojunction / in-situ deposition / hydrothermal process / photocatalytic activity / self-cleaning performance

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