Synergistic photocatalysis: unveiling the enhanced degradation of Methyl Orange by MoS2 nanosheets decorated with silver nanoparticles under natural sunlight

This work presents a comprehensive investigation into the photocatalytic degradation of Methyl Orange (MO) using MoS2 nanosheets and silver-decorated MoS2 (Ag-MoS2) nanosheets. Hydrothermally synthesized MoS2 nanosheets and Ag-MoS2 nanosheets were characterized through Field emissions scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, and Fourier Transformation Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). FESEM images revealed the synthesis of a well-shaped nanosheet-like structure within the dimensions of nano range and EDX confirmed the formation of Ag-MoS2 nanocomposite. The characteristic XRD peaks of as-synthesized MoS2 nanosheets were observed around 140, 330, and 600 corresponding to (002), (100), and (110) planes. The Ag-MoS2 nanocomposite showed a similar diffraction pattern. UV-vis absorption spectrum showed peak of around 511 nm and 622 nm. Ag-MoS2 showed a redshift in the UV-vis spectrum. The band gap for pure MoS2 nanosheets and Ag-MoS2 nanosheets is calculated using tauc's plot and found to be 2.9 eV and 2.7 eV respectively. The photocatalytic activities of MoS2 nanosheets and silver-decorated MoS2 nanosheets were evaluated under natural Sunlight. The Ag-MoS2 nearly degraded 74% of MO while pristine MoS2 nanosheets degraded only around 40% of MO in 90 min under natural sunlight. The synergistic effects of MoS2 and silver nanoparticles were explored to provide insights into the enhanced photocatalytic performance.