Efficient visible light photocatalytic degradation of heavy metal pollutant using carbon doped WS2 nanostructure

It is an urgent concern to develop a novel photocatalyst material to degrade heavy metal and organic pollutants under visible-light regions. Herein, we developed a carbon (C) doped WS2 has been synthesized using a facile hydrothermal method. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV–Vis spectroscopy were used to evaluate the as-prepared catalysts. The visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity of C-WS2 has been evaluated using heavy metal pollutant (Cr (VI)). The C-WS2 exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance with 96.3% degradation efficiency and 0.055 min−1 degradation rate at 60 min. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of C-WS2 was ascribed to efficient photogenerated electron-hole separation. The trapping experiment results indicated that. O2- and. OH active species are the major role in the degradation of Cr (VI). This present work highlights the significance of the C-WS2 photocatalyst in degrading the heavy metal Cr (VI) under visible illumination. This work pathway in developing a new design photocatalyst for wastewater treatment.