Optimal synthesis of MoS2/Cu2O nanocomposite to enhance photocatalytic performance towards indigo carmine dye degradation

In this work, the nanocomposite of MoS2 nanosheets with Cu2O spheres was synthesized with different weight ratios of MoS2 and Cu2O by precipitation method and used as a potent photocatalyst for indigo carmine (IC) dye degradation. Various analytical techniques such as XRD, FTIR, FESEM, HRTEM, EDX, UV-DRS, PL, XPS, TGA, BET surface area, CV, and EIS were used to analyze the characteristics of as-synthesized MoS2/Cu2O. The electrochemical results revealed that Cu2O provides active sites as well as charge separation in Z-scheme nanocomposite which further confirmed robust coupling between MoS2 nanosheets and Cu2O spheres. The photocatalytic results showed that an optimized heterostructure consisting of Cu2O decorated on MoS2 with a weight ratio of 1:0.75 exhibited a 45 % enhancement of IC photodegradation efficiency in visible light as compared to pristine MoS2. The photocatalytic studies were also performed over simulated industrial wastewater, which is a significant aspect toward encouraging the practical application of the photocatalysis approach. The results depict that MoS2 nanosheets decorated with Cu2O spheres are valuable nanocomposites to remove organic contaminants from wastewater.