Higher photocatalytic removal of organic pollutants using pangolin-like composites made of 3-4 atomic layers of MoS2 nanosheets deposited on tourmaline

Environmental pollution by organic pollutants is a serious concern which may be solved by photocatalytic degradation of pollutants, yet the efficiency of actual photocatalytic materials is limited. For instance, conventional MoS2 nanosheets tend to agglomerate, which hinders the access of pollutants to active sites. To overcome this challenge, we hypothesized that assembling MoS2 nanosheets on a mineral support would improve access to active sites. We synthesized a catalyst made of 3-4 atomic layers of MoS2 nanosheets deposited on tourmaline using a microwave hydrothermal method. Results show that tourmaline occurs as a polyhedron single crystal that supports the epitaxial growth of 2H-MoS2 layers on tourmaline (77 $$(3) over bar) facets, while an intrinsic rolling up behavior of MoS2 layer from [002] to [106] on the mineral surface accounts for the curly morphology. The pangolin-like MoS2/tourmaline composite degrades rhodamine B much better than the pure MoS2 nanosheets assembled microspheres. This is explained by the reduced thickness of MoS2 nanosheets according to the density functional theory. Overall, our findings represent a new tactic for the cost-effective batch preparation of two-dimensional materials with high catalytic performance.

Automated summary

The study investigates the assembly of MoS2 nanosheets on a mineral support to improve access to active sites. A pangolin-like composite catalyst consisting of MoS2 nanosheets deposited on tourmaline was synthesized, which degrades pollutants more effectively than pure MoS2 nanosheets. This approach represents a new tactic for the cost-effective batch preparation of two-dimensional materials with high catalytic performance.