Effect of MoS2 Morphology on the Photocatalytic Degradation of 4-Nitrophenol to Aminophenol

Nitroaromatic compounds are frequently detected as contaminants in industrial or agricultural wastewaters. Wastewater discharge contributes to nitrophenol pollution of the aquatic environment. Toxicity and carcinogenicity of 4-nitrophenol cause serious impact on water bodies. The present study is devoted to investigates the photocatalytic degradation of p-nitrophenol to aminophenol by MoS2 photocatalyst. MoS2 nanoparticles were synthesized via a hydrothermal process and further characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), High resolution transmission microscopy (HRTEM), UV-Visible spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). X-ray analysis revealed the presence of 2H phase of MoS2 and XPS analysis determined its various oxidation states. Fourier Transformation Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) were used to study the functional group and thermal stability. UV- Visible spectroscopy was used to study the degradation of 4-nitrophenol and reaction kinetics. Investigation results showed a significant effect of nanosheets over nanoflower morphology for degradation efficiency of 4 nitrophenol to aminophenol under natural Sunlight.