Intermixing of MoS ₂ and WS ₂ photocatalysts toward methylene blue photodegradation

Visible-light-driven photocatalysis using layered materials has garnered increasing attention regarding the degradation of organic dyes. Herein, transition-metal dichalcogenides MoS ₂ and WS ₂ prepared by chemical vapor deposition as well as their intermixing are evaluated for photodegradation (PD) of methylene blue under solar simulator irradiation. Our findings revealed that WS ₂ exhibited the highest PD efficiency of 67.6% and achieved an impressive PD rate constant of 6.1 × 10 ⁻³ min ⁻¹ . Conversely, MoS ₂ displayed a somewhat lower PD performance of 43.5% but demonstrated remarkable stability. The intriguing result of this study relies on the synergetic effect observed when both MoS ₂ and WS ₂ are combined in a ratio of 20% of MoS ₂ and 80% of WS ₂ . This precise blend resulted in an optimized PD efficiency and exceptional stability reaching 97% upon several cycles. This finding underscores the advantageous outcomes of intermixing WS ₂ and MoS ₂ , shedding light on the development of an efficient and enduring photocatalyst for visible-light-driven photodegradation of methylene blue.