A high performance MoO3@MoS2 porous nanorods for adsorption and photodegradation of dye

A porous MoO3@MoS2 core-shell nanorod was synthesized by hydrothermal method using MoO3 nanorod as the precursor. The investigation indicated that at high RhB concentration, MoO3@MoS2 nanorod exhibits excellent adsorption ability (Qmax ​= ​326.8 ​mg/g), while at the low concentration, it exhibits high-performance photocatalytic degradation ability. The adsorption of RhB on MoO3@MoS2 nanorod fitted well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the adsorption process was mainly controlled by intraparticle diffusion process. The initial fast adsorption process of RhB may localized on both homogeneous (monolayer) and heterogeneous (multilayer) active sites, and then localized on the heterogeneous active sites for the multilayer adsorption matching with the Freundlich isotherm model. The light absorption of MoO3@MoS2 nanorod in ultraviolet and visible regions increased significantly due to forming core-shell structure. The results of trapping experiments and EPR analysis showed that in MoO3@MoS2 system h+ and ·OH play critical roles in the photodegradation of RhB. Due to forming Z-scheme mechanism, the reducibility of electron in the CB of MoS2 increases, while the oxidability of hole in the VB of MoO3 also enhances. Therefore, MoO3@MoS2 nanorods display excellent photocatalytic activity under simulated sunlight irradiation, implying promising application in wastewater treatment.