Easy Synthesis Method of MoS2/TiO2 Nanostructure with Great Performance of Catalytic Activity Under Visible Light

Abstract

Sara Chahid, Rodrigo Alcantara, and Desiree M de los Santos

In this study, TiO2 nanoparticles modified with MoS2 were synthesized using the low temperature hydrolysis method. Samples of pure TiO2 and samples of MoS2 /TiO2 were prepared using different amounts of MoS2 (1.0% and 10.0% by weight). The samples were annealed at 500°C and 700°C and characterised by ICP-AES, XRD, Raman, FT-IR, TG, XPS and DR-UV-Vis spectroscopy. The results suggest that the MoS2 added during synthesis is a satisfactory source of Mo to produce doping of the TiO2 structure. In addition, the transformation of anatase phase to rutile is delayed when the concentration of Mo incorporated into the structure increases. Finally, the effectiveness of the synthesized MoS2 /TiO2 samplesused as photocatalyst for the photodegradation of methylene blue dye under visible light irradiation was investigated. TiO2 doped with MoS2 was shown to improve the degradation of methylene blue under visible light. There was found to be an optimal temperature and level of doping to achieve improved photocatalytic activity, in our case 10.0% MoS2 /TiO2 at 700°C.

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