Novel MoSe2 hierarchical microspheres for applications in visible-light-driven advanced oxidation processes

Abstract

Advanced oxidation processes as a green technology have been adopted by combining the semiconductor catalyst MoSe₂ with H₂O₂ under visible radiation. And novel three-dimensional self-assembled molybdenum diselenide (MoSe₂) hierarchical microspheres from nanosheets were produced by using organic, selenium cyanoacetic acid sodium (NCSeCH₂COONa) as the source of Se. The obtained products possess good crystallinity and present hierarchical structures with the average diameter of 1 μm. The band gap of MoSe₂ microspheres is 1.68 eV and they present excellent photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation in the MoSe₂–H₂O₂ system. This effective photocatalytic mechanism was investigated in this study and can be attributed to visible-light-driven advanced oxidation processes.