Highly effective interlayer expanded MoS₂ coupled with Bi₂WO₆ as p-n heterojunction photocatalyst for photodegradation of organic dye under LED white light

The construction of a p-n heterojunction photocatalyst manage to conquer the setbacks of low photocatalytic activity caused by rapid charge recombination and precarious photo-response range. Herein, an interlayer of expanded MoS₂ coupled with Bi₂WO₆ (BW-IEM) photocatalyst was synthesized for removal of Methylene Blue (MB) up to 97% (5.18 ×10⁻² min⁻¹) under irradiation of low power 1 W LED white light. The outstanding photocatalytic performance of the p-n heterojunctions BW-IEM photocatalyst is mainly attributed to the enhancement of light harvesting, improvement in the separation of charge carriers, and coexistence of oxygen vacancy. The main reactive oxygen species (ROS) responsible for the photodegradation of MB were •O₂^- radicals and ^•OH. This work provides a new strategy for the potential IEM photocatalyst as a matrix in a p-n heterojunction composite.