Fabrication of Cu/rGO/MoS2 nanohybrid with energetic visible-light response for degradation of rhodamine B

A novel visible-light-driven Cu/rGO/MoS2 ternary nanostructure as a photocatalyst with high catalytic activity towards degradation of rhodamine B was successfully synthesized through a facile solvothermal method. [Display omitted] A novel visible-light-driven Cu/rGO/MoS2 (CRM) ternary nanostructure as a photocatalyst with high catalytic activity towards environmental purification using solar energy was successfully synthesized through a facile solvothermal method. It was found that the nanoflower structure of MoS2 increased the number of its exposed edges. Meanwhile rGO as a catalytic substrate played a role of charge-carrier channel to improve the separation of holes and electrons, which originated from the band gap absorption of MoS2. The content of Cu in photocatalyst affected photocatalytic performance obviously. And the optimal 30% Cu/rGO/MoS2 possessed the highest photocatalytic performance, which could be attributed to the improved separation of charges and synergistic effects among Cu, rGO and MoS2. The removal efficiency of Rhodamine B (RhB) over CRM was up to 100% in 5 min. CRM as a photocatalyst maintained good reproducibility and stability during 3 times of the recycle experiments. These results indicate CRM is a promising photocatalyst for degrading organic pollutants in wastewater.