Enhanced photocatalytic activity of magnetic MoS2/CoFe1.95Y0.05O4 for CO2 reduction and pollutant degradation

With the challenges of environmental pollution and energy crisis, the development of high catalytic activity, low cost and easily recyclable nanophotocatalysts for CO 2 reduction and organic pollutant degradation is an effective response. Heterojunction formation is a common and effective method to improve the photocatalytic properties of materials. In this context, a Z -scheme heterojunction MS/CFYO nanocomposite was constructed by coupling MoS 2 (MS) with CoFe 1.95 Y 0.05 O 4 (CFYO), which is aligned with the conduction band edge to facilitate efficient transfer of photo-excited charges. The CO 2 reduction performance and catalytic activity for organic pollutant degradation of the prepared catalyst were subsequently examined, and its photoelectrochemical properties were characterized. The results demonstrate that the MS/CFYO nanocomposite exhibits outstanding photocatalytic degradation performance for methyl orange (93.83 %). Additionally, it can convert carbon dioxide (CO₂) into carbon monoxide (CO) and possesses remarkable catalytic reduction activity toward CO₂ (19.9 μmol·g −1 ·h −1 ). Moreover, the prepared catalyst demonstrated high activity for the degradation of Methyl Orange (MO), which is attributed to the optimal band alignment for charge transfer and the suppression of recombination. Finally, the catalytic mechanism of the composite was discussed in conjunction with the results from radical trapping, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) experiments. The results show that the efficient photocatalytic activity is attributed to the construction of the direct Z -scheme and the coordination of the Fenton-like reaction. This study is expected to provide a reference for the conversion of carbon dioxide and degradation of organic pollutants using efficient metal sulfide photocatalysts as well as further understanding of the related photocatalytic mechanisms.