Synthesis of MoS₂@MoO₃/(Cu⁺/g-C₃N₄) ternary composites with double S-scheme heterojunction for peroxymonosulfate...

The construction of semiconductor heterojunction is an effective way for charge separation in photocatalytic degradation of pollutants. In this study, a novel MoS₂@MoO₃/(Cu⁺/g-C₃N₄) ternary composites (MMCCN) was prepared via a simple calcination method. The as-prepared composites exhibited exceptional performance in activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB). The activity testing results indicated that 99.41 % of RhB (10 mg·L^-1, 10 mL) was effectively removed by the synergistic effect of composites photocatalyst (0.1 g·L^-1) and PMS (0.1 g·L^-1) under visible light irradiation for 40 min. Its reaction rate constant exceeded that of Cu⁺/g-C₃N₄, MoO₃ and MoS₂ by a factor of 3.56, 17.30 and 11.73 times, respectively. The crystal structure, band gap and density of states (DOS) of the semiconductors were calculated according to the density functional theory (DFT). Free radical trapping tests and electron spin resonance spectroscopy validated that ¹O₂, O₂^- and h⁺ are primary reactive species participating in the decomposition of RhB. The ternary composites demonstrated good stability and maintained excellent degradation efficiency even across four reaction cycles. Furthermore, the activation mechanism and the intermediates produced during the decomposition course of RhB by MMCCN/PMS/vis system were analyzed and elucidated. A double S-scheme heterojunctions was responsible for efficient separation of photo-induced electron-hole pairs. This work presents a novel method in the construction of double S-scheme heterojunctions for PMS activation which is expected to find wide applications in wastewater treatment and environmental remediation.