Construction of an MZO heterojunction system with improved photocatalytic activity for degradation of organic dyes

Constructing heterojunctions is an effective strategy to improve photocatalytic activity. Here, we designed and synthesized MoS2/ZnO (MZO) heterojunction nanocomposites for photocatalytic degradation of organic dye pollutants. This work explores two main parts: exploring the formation mechanism of MZO and studying the photocatalytic performance of MZO. The results show that the heterostructure exhibits higher photocatalytic activity than pure MoS2 based on the synergistic effect of dipole–dipole coupling and charge transfer. Within 40 minutes, more than 97% of organic dyes can be degraded by the MZO photocatalyst. The degradation rates were 7, 11 and 10 times those of pure MoS2, ZnO and P25 photocatalysts, respectively. Such photocatalysts also exhibit excellent reusability and stability. Therefore, this study provides an effective strategy for photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes, which is very promising in the field of environmental treatment.