Photocatalytic activity of layered MoS 2 in the reductive degradation of bromophenol blue.

Molybdenum disulphide (MoS 2 ) is a layered material with interesting photocatalytic properties. In this study, a layered MoS 2 was produced using a hydrothermal method. The obtained material was characterised by XRD (X-ray diffraction), XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy), SEM (scanning electron microscopy), UV-Vis spectroscopy, DLS (dynamic light scattering), and zeta potential analysis. For the evaluation of the photocatalytic properties of layered MoS 2 , a solution of bromophenol blue (BPB) and the catalyst was illuminated for 120 minutes. According to the experimental results, MoS 2 exhibited excellent catalytic activity in BPB degradation. The MoS 2 preparation method enabled improved light harvesting, avoided fast charge recombination (related to bulk MoS 2 ), and created a large number of suitable electron transfer sites for photocatalytic reactions. Simulation of BPB decay and bromide production was carried out for a further understanding of MoS 2 photocatalytic action. The simulation results proved the reduction mechanism of BPB photodegradation.