One-step hydrothermal synthesis of flowerlike MoS2/CdS heterostructures for enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activities

Abstract

Herein, we report flowerlike MoS₂/CdS heterostructures prepared by a simple hydrothermal method. The structure and morphology of products are characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The experimental results indicate that the as-prepared products show a flowerlike nanostructure with size at 800 nm. This flowerlike nanostructure has a large surface area and may provide a better anchoring surface for adsorbing molecules. Very importantly, as-prepared flowerlike MoS₂/CdS heterostructures exhibit excellent performance in adsorption and a higher photocatalytic activity for degrading methylene blue under the excitation of visible light than pure CdS or pure MoS₂. These characteristics enable this novel flowerlike heterostructural nanomaterial to perform potential applications in water treatment, degradation of dye pollutants, and environmental cleaning.