A facile two-step hydrothermal preparation of 2D/2D heterostructure of Bi2WO6/WS2 for the efficient photodegradation of methylene blue under sunlight

Fiaz, Muhammad, Sohail, Manzar, Nafady, Ayman, , & (2023) A facile two-step hydrothermal preparation of 2D/2D heterostructure of Bi2WO6/WS2 for the efficient photodegradation of methylene blue under sunlight. Environmental Research, 234, Article number: 116550.

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Description

A facile two-step hydrothermal method was successfully used to prepare a photocatalyst Bi2WO6/WS2 heterojunction for methyl blue (MB) photodegradation. Fabricated photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Band gap measurements were carried out by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). Results indicated that the prepared heterostructure photocatalyst has increased visible light absorption. Photocatalytic performance was evaluated under sunlight irradiation for methylene blue (MB) degradation as a model dye. Variations in pH (4–10), amount of catalyst (0.025–0.1 g/L), and initial MB concentrations (5–20 ppm) were carried out, whereas all prepared catalysts were used to conduct the tests with a visible spectrophotometer. Degradation activity improved with the pH increase; the optimum pH was approximately 8. Catalyst concentration is directly related to degradation efficiency and reached 93.56% with 0.075 g of the catalyst. Among tested catalysts, 0.01 Bi2WO6/WS2 has exhibited the highest activity and a degradation efficiency of 99.0% in 40 min (min) for MB. MB photodegradation follows pseudo-first-order kinetics, and obtained values of kapp were 0.0482 min−1, 0.0337 min−1, 0.0205 min−1, and 0.0087 min−1 for initial concentrations of 5 ppm, 10 ppm, 15 ppm, and 20 ppm, respectively. The catalyst was reused for six cycles with a negligible decrease in the degradation activity. Heterostructure 0.01 Bi2WO6/WS2 has exhibited a photocurrent density of 16 μA cm−2, significantly higher than 2.0 and 4.5 μA cm−2 for the pristine WS2 and Bi2WO6, respectively. The findings from these investigations may serve as a crucial stepping stone towards the remediation of polluted water facilitated by implementing such highly efficient photocatalysts.

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ID Code: 242069
Item Type: Contribution to Journal (Journal Article)
Refereed: Yes
ORCID iD:
Will, Geoffreyorcid.org/0000-0003-2488-4325
Additional Information: Acknowledgments: The authors sincerely thank Researchers Supporting Project number (RSP2023R79), King Saud University , Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for partial funding of this work.
Measurements or Duration: 12 pages
Keywords: 2D material, BiWO/WS heterojunction, Methylene blue degradation, Photodegradation, Toxic dyes removal
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116550
ISSN: 0013-9351
Pure ID: 141273422
Divisions: Current > QUT Faculties and Divisions > Faculty of Engineering
Current > Schools > School of Mechanical, Medical & Process Engineering
Funding Information: The authors sincerely thank Researchers Supporting Project number (RSP2023R79), King Saud University , Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for partial funding of this work.
Copyright Owner: 2023 Elsevier Inc.
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Deposited On: 01 Aug 2023 04:55
Last Modified: 15 Jul 2024 17:02