Synthesis of MoS/g-CN nanocomposites with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity for the removal of nitric oxide (NO).

Molybdenum disulfide and graphitic carbon nitride (MoS-g-CN) nanocomposites with visible-light induced photocatalytic activity were successfully synthesized by a facile ultrasonic dispersion method. The crystalline structure and morphology of the MoS-g-CN nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microcopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The optical property of the as-prepared nanocomposites was studied by ultraviolet visible diffusion reflection (UV-vis) and photoluminescence(PL) spectrum. It could be observed from the TEM image that the MoS nanosheets and g-CN nanoparticles were well combined together. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity of MoS-g-CN composites was evaluated by the removal of nitric oxide under visible light irradiation (>400nm). The experimental results demonstrated that the nanocomposites with the MoS content of 1.5 wt% exhibited optimal photocatalytic activity and the corresponding removal rate of NO achieved 51.67%, higher than that of pure g-CN nanoparticles. A possible photocatalytic mechanism for the MoS-g-CN nanocomposites with enhanced photocatalytic activity could be ascribed to the hetero-structure of MoS and g-CN.