Facile fabrication of fibrous Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂/Bi₂S₃/MoS₂ with enhanced photocatalytic activities towards pollutant degradation under visible light irradiation

Herein, novel fibrous Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂/Bi₂S₃/MoS₂ is constructed by a simple one-step methodology for photocatalytic degradation of RhB dyes. Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂/Bi₂S₃/MoS₂ hybrid fibers were facilely prepared by direct hydrothermal growth of MoS₂ nanosheets on electrospun Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ nanofiber surface, during which rod-like Bi₂S₃ was formed by in-situ ion exchange reaction between BTO and S source. The MoS₂ nanosheets with several-layer thickness uniformly are coated both on the BTO and Bi₂S₃ surface. Remarkable enhancement of visible light absorption and photo-generated charge separation in Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂/Bi₂S₃/MoS₂ are achieved compared with the bare BTO nanofibers. By changing the weight ratio of Mo/S and the precursor dosage of MoS₂, the optimized BM-150/250 sample presents 2.3 and 4.1 times higher of the photodegradation efficiency and apparent reaction rate constant, respectively, than that of pure BTO fibers after 120-min irradiation under visible light. The system pays an efficient pathway to establish ternary composite fibers providing high photocatalytic activity for other electrospun Bi-contained nanofibers.