1 T/2 H mixed phase MoS2 nanosheets decorated with Ag nanoparticles for effective photocatalysis of organic dyes for wastewater treatment

The rapid industrialization and urbanization have led to the proliferation of organic dyes in wastewater, necessitating the development of efficient and sustainable treatment technologies. We report here a novel photocatalyst based on 1 T/2 H mixed-phase molybdenum disulfide nanosheets (1 T/2 H-MoS2 NSs) decorated with silver (Ag) nanoparticles for the enhanced photodegradation of both cataionic and anionic organic dyes under natural sunlight. Hydrothermally synthesized silver nanoparticles decorated 1 T/2 H MoS2 nanosheets (Ag-1 T/2 H MoS2 NSs) are characterized through X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, and Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. FESEM results reveal that MoS2 NSs of thickness 17 nm clustered into nanoflowers where Ag nanoparticles are embedded in them. XRD results show the characteristic diffraction peaks at 2 theta value 9.8(0) and 32.38(0) for (002) and (100) planes respectively. Photocatalytic performance has been evaluated by the degradation of Crystal Violet (CV) and Methyl Orange (MO) under direct sunlight irradiation. Nanocomposites exhibit a significant improvement in degradation efficiency i.e. 97 % for both (CV) and (MO) in 15 minutes and 25 minutes respectively compared to pure MoS2. The superior activity of the Ag-1 T/2 H MoS2 composite is attributed to the synergistic effects of the mixed-phase MoS2 structure and the charge transfer phenomenon provided by Ag nanoparticles. This work highlights the potential of Ag-1 T/2 H MoS2 NSs as an effective photocatalyst for the treatment of dye-contaminated wastewater.