Solid-state synthesis of ultrathin MoS2 as a cocatalyst on mesoporous g-C3N4 for excellent enhancement of visible light photoactivity

An ultrathin MoS2 nanosheet was synthesized using a simple solid-state method with sulfur powder as the sulfur source and SiO2 as a template. The confinement effect of SiO2 spheres inhibited the growth of MoS2 along the z-axis to produce a MoS2 nanosheet composed of a few layers (2-9 layers). The SiO2 template method was simultaneously used to prepare mesoporous g-C3N4, which exhibited a higher specific area and faster charge transfer than bulk g-C3N4 and thus higher photocatalytic activity for RhB degradation. The ultrathin MoS2 nanosheets loaded onto mesoporous g-C3N4 provide active sites to obviously promote photocatalytic RhB degradation. The unique ultrathin structure of the MoS2 nano - sheet decreases the distance of electron transfer in MoS2 , inhibits the recombination probability of carriers, and strongly adsorbs RhB, thus facilitating the photocatalytic reaction for RhB degradation. Control experiments confirmed that center dot O-(2) over bar; is the most important active species, and CO2 is the dominant degraded product during the photocatalytic reaction. This study provides guidance for the design of photocatalysts and an in-depth understanding of the reaction mechanism of pollutant photodegradation. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.