Construction of MoS₂/TiO₂ Heterojunction for Excellent Photocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline

Abstract

A series of MoS2/TiO2 heterojunction photocatalysts were prepared through the hydrothermal method and were analyzed via many characterizations. The tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) was used to evaluate the performance of the photocatalysts under visible light. Compared with TiO2, the MoS2/TiO2 heterojunction has increased inhomogeneity and uneven grain size. The MoS2/TiO2 heterojunction exhibited the best activity for TCH degradation with a removal rate of 95.4 % in 120 min with a rate constant of. The reaction rate constants of MoS2/TiO2 heterojunction (0.0236 min−1) were 2.6 times and 18.2 times of the pure TiO2 and MoS2 (0.0090 min−1 and 0.0013 min−1), respectively. The research on the photocatalytic mechanism suggested that the charge transfer path conforms to the II‐scheme model, in which h+ and e− play a crucial role. This research provides strong practical support for the preparation of II‐scheme high‐efficiency photocatalytic materials.