Hydrothermally synthesized MoS2 NFs toward efficient supercapacitor and fast photocatalytic degradation of MB

MoS 2 stands out as a distinctive material, owing to its two-dimensional structure, with promising potential across various domains notably in energy storage and photocatalysis. In the present work, a pH-assisted hydrothermal approach (one step) has been utilized to synthesize MoS 2 nanoflowers (NFs) using ammonium molybdate and thiourea. Characterization of the prepared MoS 2 NFs was conducted using XRD, FESEM, HRTEM, FTIR, Raman, UV–Vis, PL, BET and XPS techniques. XRD analysis reveals the hexagonal structure of the prepared NFs, while SEM & TEM images confirm the flower-like morphology consisting of many thin petals. Band gap energy determined through the absorption spectrum is 1.9 eV. Notably, the PL spectrum exhibits a strong and broad peak at 688 nm attributed to band-to-band transition indicating multilayer formation of MoS 2 NFs, which is further confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. XPS also confirms the formation of MoS 2 showing Mo +4 and S −2 valance states. The specific surface area of MoS 2 NFs is found to be 108.446 m 2 g −1 that is very high compared to similar materials. Electrochemical properties of MoS 2 NFs were also investigated showing a specific capacitance of 761 F g −1 at 4 A g −1 with an energy density of 21 Wh kg −1 and a power density of 886 Wkg −1 for the MoS 2 NFs-based electrode. Moreover, photocatalytic degradation of MB using MoS 2 NFs at different weight contents (10, 15, 20 and 25 mg) was explored demonstrating highest 97% degradation of MB within 90 min with 20 mg photocatalyst loading along with 0.04 min −1 reaction rate. It also shows good reusability for four consecutive cycles. Furthermore, photodegradation mechanism has also been explored.