Recent Progress in WS2-Based Nanomaterials Employed for Photocatalytic Water Treatment

Abstract

Water pollution is one of the most serious environmental issues globally due to its harmful consequences on the ecosystem and public health. Various technologies have been developed for water treatment such as photocatalysis, which has recently drawn scientists’ attention. Photocatalytic techniques using semiconductors have shown an efficient removal of various water contaminants during water treatment as well as cost effectivity and low energy consumption. Tungsten disulfide (WS2) is among the promising Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (TMDs) photocatalysts, as it has an exceptional nanostructure and special properties including high surface area and high carrier mobility. It is usually synthesized via hydrothermal technique, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and liquid-phase exfoliation (LPE) to obtain a wide variety of nanostructures such as nanosheets and nanorods. Most common examples of water pollutants that can be removed efficiently by WS2-based nanomaterials through semiconductor photocatalytic techniques are organic contaminants, pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, and infectious microorganisms. This review summarizes the most recent work on employing WS2-based nanomaterials for different photocatalytic water treatment processes.

Investigation of Structural and Antibacterial Properties of WS2-Doped ZnO Nanoparticles

“…Different synthesis methods and usages of ZnO/WS 2 nanohybrids have been established. Environmental remediation applications have been studied through the study of WS 2 /ZnO photocatalytic action with the aim of removing organic pollutants. , The enhancement and development of UV photodetectors have also been explored, , and a significant enhancement of photosensitivity in the short wavelength range has been shown . A study on the effect of WS 2 nanosheet addition on the performance of the ZnO nanorod-based photodetector presented an enhancement of UV-detector performance sensitivity increasing from 129 to 334%. , The WS 2 /ZnO composite has also been explored as an optical fiber taper and can induce normal dispersion mode-locking, indicating that the WS 2 /ZnO composite is suitable for generating high-powered mode-locked pulses .…”

“…Environmental remediation applications have been studied through the study of WS 2 /ZnO photocatalytic action with the aim of removing organic pollutants. 44 , 45 The enhancement and development of UV photodetectors have also been explored, 46 , 47 and a significant enhancement of photosensitivity in the short wavelength range has been shown. 48 A study on the effect of WS 2 nanosheet addition on the performance of the ZnO nanorod-based photodetector presented an enhancement of UV-detector performance sensitivity increasing from 129 to 334%.…”

Adsorption‐Based Approaches for Exploring Nanoparticle Effectiveness in Wastewater Treatment

“…Nanoparticles' flexibility is demonstrated by their great functions as adsorbents, catalysts [6,7] and antibacterial agents. [8][9][10][11] These benefits, which include high surface area-to-volume ratios, chemical stability, and ease of surface modification, have sparked exploration into several nanoparticle categories, such as iron-based, titanium-based, and silver-based NPs, for the removal of pollutants from wastewater. [9,[12][13][14][15] This research focuses on leveraging nanoparticle-based treatment approaches to discuss the shortcomings of traditional wastewater treatment.…”

“…According to a recent study, [5] new nanoparticle techniques are being developed to improve their effectiveness in various wastewater treatment procedures such as photo‐catalysis and adsorption. Nanoparticles′ flexibility is demonstrated by their great functions as adsorbents, catalysts [6,7] and antibacterial agents [8–11] . These benefits, which include high surface area‐to‐volume ratios, chemical stability, and ease of surface modification, have sparked exploration into several nanoparticle categories, such as iron‐based, titanium‐based, and silver‐based NPs, for the removal of pollutants from wastewater [9,12–15] …”

Insights Into the Application of Polyaniline-Based Composites in Environmental Engineering

“…The high capacity of photocatalysts to oxidize hazardous contaminants is driven by the generation of holes in their valence bands. Frequently used materials as photocatalysts in the process of photocatalysis are metal oxides, like TiO2 (Armaković et al, 2023), ZnO (Ong et al, 2018), V2O5 (Sajid et al, 2020), WS2 (Yousef et al, 2022), graphene oxide (Sandhu et al, 2020) as mineral materials. On the other hand, polymer-based photocatalysts are developing at a faster rate as a cost-effective material.…”