Architecture of visible-light induced Z-scheme MoS2/g-C3N4/ZnO ternary photocatalysts for malachite green dye degradation

The synthesis of bilayer heterojunctions has received considerable attention recently. Fabrication of novel bilayer composites is of significant interest to improve their photocatalytic efficiency. In this study, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), a layered dichalcogenide material exhibiting unique properties, in combination with graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), a carbon-based layered material, was fabricated with small amounts of zinc oxide (ZnO). Three composites, MoS2/g-C3N4, MoS2/ZnO, and MoS2/g-C3N4/ZnO were prepared via a simple exfoliation method and characterized by various physicochemical methods. The Z-scheme charge transfer mechanism in the prepared ternary composite improves efficiency by inhibiting the recombination rate of electron-hole pairs. It has shown excellent performance in degrading a major water contaminant, malachite green (MG) dye, under visible light irradiation.