A novel step-scheme WS2/BiYWO6 heterostructure for enhanced photocatalytic degradation performance towards the degradation of organic pollutant

Abstract Constructing S-scheme heterojunction between two semiconductor materials is an effective route to increase the photocatalytic degradation efficiency. Here, a novel S-scheme WS2/BiYWO6 heterojunction photocatalyst was prepared by wet chemical route. At the same time, the photocatalytic degradation performance of the fabricated materials was analyzed by the degradation of Rhodamine B under visible light. Of all prepared WS2/BiYWO6 composites, the 20 wt. % WS2 loaded WS2/BiYWO6 composite exhibited an enhanced photocatalytic degradation ability than other prepared photocatalysts. Here, O2.− and .OH radicals are performing a pivotal role in the Rhodamine B degradation and the optimized composite shows 1.06- and 1.119-times greater photocurrent intensity than pure BiYWO6 and WS2 respectively. Also, the synthesized photocatalyst maintains its stability with negligible changes even after three cycles. Thereby, the constructed S-scheme WS2/BiYWO6 heterojunction is a potential material for the wastewater remediation.