Improved Mass-Transfer Enhances Photo-Driven Dye Degradation and H2 Evolution over a Few-Layer WS2/ZnO Heterostructure

In this study, we observed the enhanced photocatalytic activity of a few-layer WS2/ZnO (WZ) heterostructure toward dye degradation and H-2 production. The few-layer WS2 acted as a co-catalyst that separated photogenerated electron/hole pairs and provided active sites for reactions, leading to the rate of photocatalytic H-2 production of WZ being 35% greater than that over the bare ZnO nanoparticles. Moreover, vortex-stirring accelerated the mass-transfer of the reactants, leading to the efficiency of dye photodegradation being 3 times higher than that obtained without high-speed stirring. We observed a similar effect for H-2 production, with greater photocatalytic performance arising from the increased mass-transfer of H-2 from the catalyst surface to the atmosphere.

Automated summary

In this study, the enhanced photocatalytic activity of a few-layer WS2/ZnO heterostructure was observed for dye degradation and H-2 production. The few-layer WS2 acted as a co-catalyst and provided active sites for reactions, leading to higher rates of photocatalytic H-2 production compared to bare ZnO nanoparticles. Additionally, vortex-stirring accelerated mass-transfer, resulting in higher efficiency of dye photodegradation.