Low-temperature construction of MoS2 quantum dots/ZnO spheres and their photocatalytic activity under natural sunlight

Abstract Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanophotocatalyst is a promising candidate for degrading organic pollutants but has an extremely low photocatalytic activity under nature sunlight. In this work, flower-like MoS 2 quantum dots/ZnO (MQ/ZnO) nanospheres with the size of approximately 1.26 μm are prepared at low temperature. The resultant flower-like MQ/ZnO nanospheres displayed higher photocatalytic activity than pure ZnO nanospheres under natural sunlight and without stirring, with the decomposition rate of the MQ/ZnO composites approximately 3.3 times higher than that of the pure ZnO nanospheres. Furthermore, the introduction of MoS 2 QDs endowed ZnO nanospheres with optical memory ability. The enhanced sunlight-driven photocatalytic activity is dependent on the unique electrical properties of MoS 2 QDs and the synergistic effect between ZnO and MoS 2 QDs.