One-step hydrothermal growth of MoS2 nanosheets/CdS nanoparticles heterostructures on montmorillonite for enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity

Montmorillonite@MoS2/CdS composite materials (Mt@MoS2/CdS) were successfully prepared through one-step hydrothermal growth of MoS2 nanosheets/CdS nanoparticles heterostructures on the surface of montmorillonite. The photocatalytic activity of samples was evaluated by degradation of organic dye Rhodamine B, and the ratio of MoS2 and CdS was optimized. The microstructure and morphology characterization indicates that MoS2 nanosheets and CdS nanoparticles are assembled on the surface of montmorillonite with the interface interaction, which have smaller size and higher dispersibility in composites. Mt@MoS2/CdS composites have large special surface area, high visible light absorption and low recombination rate of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Mt@MoS2/CdS-7 exhibits the highest adsorption rate and photocatalytic activity, and the overall removal rate of RhB was up to 98.8% after visible light irradiation for 45 min. The special structure of montmorillonite and MoS2/CdS heterostructures could enhance visible light photocatalytic activity of composites through a synergistic effect, and the possible photocatalytic reaction mechanism was explored. The Mt@MoS2/CdS composites show prospective application for photocatalytic degradation of organic dye in wastewater under visible light irradiation.