Nanostructured LaFeO3-MoS2 for efficient photodegradation and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

The fabrication of heterogeneous photocatalysts has received increasing research interest due to their potential applications for the degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater and the evolution of carbon-free hydrogen fuel via water splitting. Here, we report the photodegradation and photocatalytic hydrogen generation abilities of nanostructured LaFeO$_{3}$-MoS$_{2}$ photocatalyst synthesized by facile hydrothermal technique. Prior to conducting photocatalytic experiments, structural, morphological, and optical properties of the nanocomposite were extensively investigated using X-ray diffraction analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and UV-visible spectroscopy, respectively. Nanostructured LaFeO$_{3}$-MoS$_{2}$ photodegraded 96% of rhodamine B dye within only 150 minutes which is considerably higher than that of LaFeO$_{3}$ and commercial Degussa P25 titania nanoparticles. The LaFeO$_{3}$-MoS$_{2}$ nanocomposite also exhibited significantly enhanced photocatalytic efficiency in the decomposition of a colorless probe pollutant, ciprofloxacin eliminating the possibility of the dye-sensitization effect. Moreover, LaFeO$_{3}$-MoS$_{2}$ demonstrated superior photocatalytic activity towards solar hydrogen evolution via water splitting. Considering the band structures and contribution of reactive species, a direct Z-scheme photocatalytic mechanism is proposed to rationalize the superior photocatalytic behavior of LaFeO$_{3}$-MoS$_{2}$ nanocomposite.