MoS₂@ZnO Nanoheterostructures Prepared by Electrospark Erosion for Photocatalytic Applications

Abstract

MoS2@ZnO nanoheterostructures were synthesized by electrospark erosion of zinc granules in a hydrogen peroxide solution and simultaneous addition of MoS2 nanostructured powder into the reaction zone. The morphology, size of the crystallites, as well as elemental and phase composition of the prepared structures, were examined using transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. It was found that the synthesized products represent heterostructures containing MoS2 nanoparticles formed on ZnO nanoparticles. Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence analysis were also used for characterization of the prepared heterostructures. The obtained MoS2@ZnO nanostructures revealed an intense broad emission band ranging from 425 to 625 nm for samples with different fractions of MoS2. Photocatalytic measurements showed that the maximal hydrogen evolution rate of the prepared nanoheterostructures was about 906.6 μmol·g−1·h−1. The potential of their application in photocatalytic water splitting was also estimated.

Keywords

• electrospark erosion
• heterostructures
• photocatalytic water splitting
• MoS₂@ZnO
• electrical explosion of wires
• self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS)