MoS₂ based ternary composites: review on heterogeneous materials as catalyst for photocatalytic degradation

ABSTRACT

Photocatalytic degradation is an upcoming technique for the removal of organic pollutants from wastewater. This topic attracts increasing interest due to its potential of utilizing “freely” available solar energy for environmental purification. In recent years, MoS₂ based photocatalysts have garnered substantial attention for their graphene-like structure and suitable bandgap for visible light photocatalysis, unlike that of TiO₂. However, pure MoS₂ has many disadvantages like the high recombination rate of its electron-hole pairs as well as narrow bandgap, which affects its efficiency as a photocatalyst. It has been proven that heterojunction photocatalysts of MoS₂ have an increased photoactivity when compared to pristine MoS₂. The latest advancements in the field of MoS₂ based ternary composites are summarized in this review, with a special emphasis on the application part for wastewater treatment. We have compiled relevant information for the degradation of organic pollutants using photocatalysis with the aim to further the research in this field.

KEYWORDS:

• Solar energy
• environmental purification
• photocatalysts
• heterojunction
• MoS₂ based ternary composites
• wastewater treatment
• degradation

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the Vellore Institute of Technology management for their support, especially during the Covid-19 period. We also wish to thank Dr. Sana Khan, Postdoctoral Scholar at University of California, Davis for reviewing the manuscript.