Unlocking the high redox activity of MoS2 on dual-doped graphene as a superior piezocatalyst

Abstract The need for highly efficient and environmentally friendly catalysts for pollutants removal sustainably has drawn extensive attention. In particular, piezocatalysis is promising for harnessing low-frequency vibration (e.g., wind) to enable high-performance degradation of organic pollutants. Herein, we synthesized a sandwich-like piezocatalyst by fabricating MoS2 nanosheets onto S, N-codoped graphene (MoS2@SNG) through a facile hydrothermal strategy. Results indicate that the MoS2@SNG exhibited ultrahigh piezocatalytic activities for both oxidation and reduction degradation of pollutants. Benefiting from the reduced stacking of MoS2 nanosheets and accelerated electron transfer of heterogeneous graphene, MoS2@SNG had a sharply enhanced electric field (i.e., 29.3 mV of MoS2@SNG versus 4.7 mV of MoS2). Moreover, the abundance of active sites of Mo4+ being exposed over MoS2@SNG remarkably promoted the redox reaction. This study provided evidence that layered piezoelectric materials represent an attractive strategy for environmental remediation.