Generic placeholder image

Recent Innovations in Chemical Engineering

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 2405-5204
ISSN (Online): 2405-5212

Research Article

Mo3S4 Nanorod: An Effective Photocatalyst for the Degradation of Organic Dyes in Aqueous Solution

Author(s): Madima Ntakadzeni, William Wilson Anku*, Penny Poomani Govender and Leelakrishna Reddy*

Volume 12, Issue 1, 2019

Page: [61 - 69] Pages: 9

DOI: 10.2174/2405520412666181120120033

Price: $65

Abstract

Background: A molybdenum sulfide (Mo3S4) nanorod photocatalyst was synthesised through the facile hydrothermal method and applied in the degradation of Rhodamine B and Methyl Blue dyes under visible light irradiation.

Methods: The Mo3s4 nanorod was synthesised using sodium molybdate, sodiumdiethyldithiolcarbonate and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid as molybdenum and sulfur sources, and capping agent respectively. The photocatalyst was characterized by using XRD, FTIR, TEM, SEM, EDS and UV-Vis spectroscopies.

Results: SEM result shows that the synthesised sample has a rod-like shape made up of several thin sheets. The XRD result revealed the Mo3S4 nanorod to exist in the Rhombohedral phase. The energy band gap of the sample was calculated to be 2.02 eV. The synthesised Mo3S4 nanorod showed great potential in the removal of both RhB and MB in aqueous solution. 85.46% and 99.78% removals of RhB and MB dyes respectively were achieved in 90 min.

Conclusion: It was also observed that the photodegradation of both RhB and MB follows pseudo-first order kinetics, with apparent rate constants of 0.0089 min-1 and 0.0118 min-1 for RhB and MB respectively.

Keywords: Mo3S4, nanorod, semiconductor, photocatalyst, degradation, organic dyes.

Graphical Abstract

[1]
Ambrosio ST, Campos-Takaki GM. Decolorization of reactive azo dyes by Cunninghamella elegans UCP 542 under co-metabolic conditions. Bioresour Technol 2004; 91: 69-75.
[2]
Weber EJ. Studies of benzidine-based dyes in sediment-water systems. Environ Toxicol Chem 1991; 10(5): 609-18.
[3]
Bai X, Wang L, Zhu Y. Visible photocatalytic activity enhancement of ZnWO4 by graphene hybridization. ACS Catal 2012; 2(12): 2769-78.
[4]
Asahi RYOJI. Morikawa Takeshi, Ohwaki T, et al. Visible-light photocatalysis in nitrogen-doped titanium oxides. Science 2001; 293: 269-71.
[5]
Tong H, Ouyan S, Bi Y, et al. Nano‐photocatalytic materials: Possibilities and challenges. Adv Mater 2012; 24(2): 229-51.
[6]
Chen WF, Muckerman JT, Fujita E. Recent developments in transition metal carbides and nitrides as hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts. ChemComm 2013; 49(79): 8896-909.
[7]
Lou XWD, Archer LA, Yang Z. Hollow micro-nanostructures: Synthesis and applications. Adv Mater 2008; 20(21): 3987-4019.
[8]
Maitra U, Gupta U, De M, et al. Highly effective visible-light-induced H2 generation by single-layer 1T-MoS2 and a nanocomposite of few-layer 2H-MoS2 with heavily nitrogenated graphene. Angew Chem Int Ed 2013; 52(49): 13057-61.
[9]
Rao CNR, Gopalakrishnan K, Maitra U. Comparative study of potential applications of graphene, Mo3S4, and other two-dimensional materials in energy devices, sensors, and related areas. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2015; 7(15): 7809-32.
[10]
Huang X, Zeng Z, Zhang H. Metal dichalcogenide nanosheets: Preparation, properties and applications. Chem Soc Rev 2013; 42(5): 1934-46.
[11]
Zeng Z, Sun T, Zhu J, et al. An effective method for the fabrication of few-layer-thick inorganic nanosheets. Angew Chem Int Ed 2012; 51(36): 9052-6.
[12]
Coleman JN, Lotya M, O’Neill A, et al. Two-dimensional nanosheets produced by liquid exfoliation of layered materials. Science 2011; 331(6017): 568-71.
[13]
Yao Y, Tolentino L, Yang Z, et al. High-concentration aqueous dispersions of MoS2. Adv Funct Mater 2013; 23(28): 3577-83.
[14]
Huang H, Du C, Shi H, et al. Water-soluble monolayer molybdenum disulfide quantum dots with upconversion fluorescence. Part Syst Char 2015; 32: 72-9.
[15]
Wang Y, Ni Y. Molybdenum disulfide quantum dots as a photoluminescence sensing platform for 2,4,6-trinitrophenol detection. Anal Chem 2014; 86(15): 7463-70.
[16]
Lou XWD, Archer LA, Yang Z. Hollow micro-nanostructures: Synthesis and applications. Adv Mater 2008; 20(21): 3987-4019.
[17]
Lin H, Wang C, Wu J, et al. Colloidal synthesis of MoS2 quantum dots: Size-dependent tunable photoluminescence and bioimaging. New J Chem 2015; 39(11): 8492-7.
[18]
Zhang YC, Wang GY, Hu XY, et al. Phase-controlled synthesis of ZnS nanocrystallites by mild solvothermal decomposition of an air-stable single-source molecular precursor. J Cryst Growth 2005; 284(3): 554-60.
[19]
Geng X, Zhai L, Hu J, et al. The synthesis of hollow CuInS2 microspheres with hierarchical structures. Mater Chem Phys 2015; 149-150: 743-50.
[20]
Altay E, Shahwan T, Tanogly M. Morphosynthesis of CoCO3 at different reaction temperatures and effects of PDDA, CTAB, and EDTA on the particle morphology and polymorph stability. Powder Technol 2007; 178(3): 194-202.
[21]
Cramer RE, Yamada K, Kawaguchi H, et al. Synthesis and structure of Mo3S4 cluster complex with seven cluster electrons. Inorg Chem 1996; 35(6): 1743-6.

Rights & Permissions Print Cite
© 2024 Bentham Science Publishers | Privacy Policy