Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of WS2/TiO2 Nanofibers for Degradation of Phenol under Visible Light Irradiation
Engy Ahmed Nada, Heba H. El-Maghrabi, Patrice Raynaud, Hager R. Ali, Saad Abd El-Wahab, Dina Yahea Sabry, Yasser M. Moustafa, Amr A. Nada
Abstract
Binary composite WS2/TiO2 nanofibers (WTN) were elaborated by electrospinning technique. The photocatalytic efficiency of the binary nanofibers was changed via different ratios between WS2 and TiO2. The structural, morphological and optical properties of the prepared nanofibers were evaluated by Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis/DRS), respectively. The prepared nanofibers showed a remarkable performance in photocatalytic efficiency of phenol compound degradation under visible light. WTN nanofibers showed superior photocatalytic activity (83%) and high stability of several cycles under visible light. Therefore, WS2/TiO2 nanofibers have great prospects for the treatment of wastewater from toxic organic contamination due to their excellent photocatalytic performance reusability and recyclability.