Ex Situ Synthesis and Characterizations of MoS2/WO3 Heterostructures for Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of RhB

In this study, novel hydrothermal ex situ synthesis was adopted to synthesize MoS2/WO3 heterostructures using two different molar ratios of 1:1 and 1:4. The "bottom-up" assembly was successfully developed to synthesize spherical and flaky-shaped heterostructures. Their structural, morphological, compositional, and bandgap characterizations were investigated through XRD, EDX, SEM, UV-Visible spectroscopy, and FTIR analysis. These analyses help to understand the agglomerated heterostructures of MoS2/WO3 for their possible photocatalytic application. Therefore, prepared heterostructures were tested for RhB photodegradation using solar light irradiation. The % efficiency of MoS2/WO3 composites for 30 min irradiation of 1:1 was 91.41% and for 1:4 was 98.16%. Similarly, the % efficiency of 1:1 MoS2/WO3 heterostructures for 60 min exposure was 92.68%; for 1:4, it was observed as 98.56%; and for 90 min exposure, the % efficiency of 1:1 was 92.41%, and 98.48% was calculated for 1:4 composites. The photocatalytic efficiency was further verified by reusability experiments (three cycles), and the characterization results afterward indicated the ensemble of crystalline planes that were responsible for the high efficiency. Moreover, these heterostructures showed stability over three cycles, indicating their future applications for other photocatalytic applications.