Effect of CdS loading on the properties and photocatalytic activity of MoS2 nanosheets

Molybdenum sulfide (MoS₂) and modified MoS₂ with different percentages of CdS (10%, 30%, and 50% CdS@MoS₂) were successfully synthesized and characterized. The photocatalytic performance of the MoS₂ and CdS@MoS₂ was evaluated by degrading brilliant green (BG), methylene blue (MB), and rhodamine B (RhB) dyes under visible light irradiation. Amongst the synthesized photocatalysts, 50% CdS@MoS₂ exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity, degrading 97.6%, 90.3%, and 75.5% of BG, MB, and RhB dyes, respectively within 5 h. The active species involved in the degradation processes were investigated. All trapping agents inhibited BG and MB degradation to a similar extent, indicating that all of the probed active species play an important role in the degradation of BG and MB. In contrast, h⁺ and O₂^•− were found to be the main reactive species in the photocatalytic RhB degradation. A potential mechanism for the photocatalytic degradation of dyes using CdS@MoS₂ has been proposed. This work highlights the potential of CdS@MoS₂ as a photocatalyst for more efficient water remediation applications.