Molybdenum Disulfide–Zinc Oxide Mixed Phase Network as Water Purifier

Abstract

The present work reports the development of oxide-sulfide hybrid by simple hydrothermal process where zinc oxide (ZnO) prepared by simple chemical process is added in situ during the growth of molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) by hydrothermal process. The as prepared sample is characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). XRD confirms the coexistence of both ZnO and MoS₂ in the sample whereas FESEM shows that fractal kind of sulfide structures get developed over ZnO rod. EDX carries the information regarding the stoichiometry of the sample. The sample is proven to be an excellent remover of textile dyes by synergistic effect of photocatalysis and adsorption with almost 100% efficiency following simple first-order reaction kinetics. When the porous structure of the sample helps the process of adsorption, the charge transfer mechanism has been assumed to be responsible for photocatalytic dye degradation. The latter involves the transferring of electrons or holes between the photocatalyst and the dye molecules, leading to the generation of reactive species that initiate the degradation process. The combined effect of these two processes takes only 30 min to degrade textile dyes like Bengal rose (BR) and methylene blue (MB). Thus, the present work is supposed to serve as milestone in the associated field.