Highly efficient visible light driven photocatalytic activities of the LaCuS2-graphene composite-decorated ordered mesoporous silica

Abstract A combination of mesoporous silica with an LaCuS 2 -graphene composite has been prepared by a self-assembly method in support of the CTAB surfactant as the structure creator and basic medium. The characterization was investigated using XRD, SEM, TEM, HR-TEM, EDS, XPS, Raman, and DRS analysis. The pore size of the as-fabricated composite was calculated to be 5.83 nm by the nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms. In addition, the photocatalytic properties revealed that the mesoporous SiO 2 /LaCuS 2 -graphene catalyst presented a good result for the photocatalytic activity of organic dyes and gallic acid under visible light irradiation. Moreover, the as-prepared mesoporous SiO 2 /LaCuS 2 -graphene nanocomposite exhibited a good photodegradation rate for a cationic organic dye group under a pH medium of 11. The photocatalytic performance of the phenol compound representation presented a good result, and the optimum amount of the catalytic for the gallic acid photocatalytic activity is 0.05 g. In addition, the mesoporous SiO 2 /LaCuS 2 -graphene catalyst can be exploited for the application of solar energy conversion with high hydrogen production capacity.