Synthesis of MoS/Mg(OH)/BiVO hybrid photocatalyst by ultrasonic homogenization assisted hydrothermal methods and its application as sunlight active photocatalyst for water decontamination.

In this work, MoS/Mg(OH)/BiVO ternary hybrid photocatalyst was synthesized by sonicated precursor mixture to the hydrothermal procedure to generate a highly efficient solar light-induced and simply recyclable photocatalyst. The obtained hybrid was confirmed by the characteristic peaks of MoS/Mg(OH)/BiVO observed in X-ray diffraction (14.31°/18.62°/28.18°), infrared spectra (465/445/679 cm), ultraviolet-visible spectra (636/683/639 nm) studies, and the band-gap narrowing (2.62/2.44/2.25 eV). The morphological structure of MoS (rod), Mg(OH) (particles), and BiVO (random aggregates) were turned into MoS/Mg(OH)/BiVO hierarchical nanosheets that coexisted with particles. The photodegradation experiments of the photocatalysts were assessed by using Congo Red (CR), Malachite Green (MG) and Textile Industry Effluent (TIE) as the model pollutant under direct sunlight. The photocatalytic efficiency of the hybrids was noticeably 2.1 to 2.3 times higher than that of the individual components. Photocurrent response test indicate that MoS/Mg(OH)/BiVO ternary hybrid nanocomposites photocatalysts had a more effective electron/hole pair separation than individual and binary composite photocatalysts. The mechanism of photodegradation of MoS/Mg(OH)/BiVOternary hybrid photocatalysts was investigated and discussed.