2D/2D nanohybrid composed of g-C3N4and MoS2 as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of methylene blue from wastewater

Authors :

Hibakhadeeja. M. P

Here we report the fabrication of a 2D/2D nanohybrid composed of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of organic dye pollutants. The g-C3N4 was synthesized by direct heating of thiourea and ammonium sulphate at 550 ºC. The MoS₂ nanosheets were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. The g-C3N4/MoS2nanohybrid was synthesized by mixing the g-C3N4andMoS₂componentswith the help of ultrasonication enabling their restacking and effective interactions of their layers. The structural characterization of the products was done by using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The adsorption efficiency of g-C3N4/MoS2nanohybrid was explored for the removal of a model dye pollutant; methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution.The adsorption of MB ong-C3N4/MoS2nanohybrid was studied by batch adsorption studies using a UV-Visible spectrophotometer. The effect of pH on adsorption and adsorption kinetics were studied in detail. The g-C3N4/MoS2nanohybrid exhibited maximum removal efficiency at neutral pH. The adsorption kinetics was well-fitted well with pseudo-second order kinetic model. The maximum adsorption capacity of g-C3N4/MoS2for MB at equilibrium was around 67mg/g. Further, the nanohybrid exhibited easy separation through centrifugation and can be reused up to three cycles without much decrease in its dye removal efficiency. The results show that the g-C3N4/MoS2nanohybrid developed in the present study is an excellent adsorbent for the removal of MB from wastewater.
Key words: Adsorption, graphitic carbon nitride, molybdenum disulphide, nanohybrid, methylene blue
*Corresponding author: E-mail: shimachem@kannuruniv.ac.in, shimapd@gmail.