Fabrication of MoS2/Ag3PO4 S-scheme photocatalyst for visible-light-active degradation of organic dye and antibiotic in wastewater

A visible-light-active MoS2/Ag3PO4 S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst was fabricated using a two-step method comprising a hydrothermal technique and a chemical precipitation route. The novelty of the prepared photocatalyst is based on the creation of MoS2 by a hydrothermal method and then fabrication of Ag3PO4 on MoS2 by a chemical precipitation method. The 1 wt% MoS2/Ag3PO4 photocatalyst with band gap of 2.32 eV exhibited 79% removal of ofloxacin (OFL) drug under visible light. Interestingly, complete removal of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye under natural sunlight was achieved. Creation of a heterostructure is a key idea for improvement of the performance attributed to increasing of electron–hole separation efficiency and enhancing of the absorption in the visible region in comparison to that of the pristine Ag3PO4. Photogenerated hole plays the most important role in photodegradation of the pollutant. The photocatalyst remains stable and still shows high efficiency after three successive runs confirming its promising cycling ability. This research demonstrates an enhanced performance of the sunlight-active heterojunction catalyst for degradation of toxic pollutants in the environment by utilization of solar energy.