Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Ceramics International journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ceramint Electrospinning and hydrothermal synthesis of recyclable MoS 2 /CNFs hybrid with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic performance Yong Wang a,b,1 , Jaka Sunarso c,1 , Fengxiang Wang d , Bo Zhao a , Xuewen Liu e , Guihua Chen a, ⁎ a School of Pharmaceutical and Chemical Engineering, Taizhou University, Jiaojiang 318000, China b College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China c Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Science, Swinburne University of Technology, Jalan Simpang Tiga, 93350 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia d College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qufu Normal University, Qufu 273165, China e Shandong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Industrial Wastewater Reclamation, Key Laboratory of Comprehensive Utilization of Liquid Pollutants of Binzhou City, Binzhou University, Binzhou 256603, China ARTICLE INFO Keywords: B. Fibers B. Nanocomposites E. Functional applications ABSTRACT In this work, a two-step synthesis route combining an electrospinning method and a hydrothermal process was used to prepare MoS 2 /CNFs hybrid. CNFs was applied as the matrix for the nucleation and growth of MoS 2 nanosheets. In this hybrid, the crisscrossed MoS 2 nanosheets were randomly aligned and densely packed over the surface of CNFs. We probed the photocatalytic activity of MoS 2 /CNFs hybrid to degrade rhodamine B (Rh B) in an aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. The hybrid displayed higher photodegradation performance relative to MoS 2 and mechanical mixture of MoS 2 with CNFs, with 67% Rh B completely degraded over 5 h-period. We attributed such enhancement in photocatalytic activity to the enhanced absorption property and electrical conductivity due to the synergy between MoS 2 and CNFs. The hybrid can furthermore be easily separated from the solution and reused for the subsequent photodegradation cycles. We verified the negligible loss in the photodegradation activity of MoS 2 /CNFs hybrid towards Rh B during the three subsequent cycles. The high photocatalytic activity and recyclability of the hybrid render its practical application to degrade organic pollutants (i.e., dye compounds) in industrial wastewater. 1. Introduction The development of industries brings along organic pollutants emission issue in industries’ wastewaters. These pollutants are harmful to the environment and human health and are difficult to degrade naturally [1–3]. Their removal from wastewater or remediation thus becomes imperative to minimize their negative effects [1]. Semiconductor-based photocatalysis is one of the most promising technologies to degrade organic pollutants in wastewater at ambient temperature and pressure [4–6]. TiO 2 , a typical n-type semiconductor, in particular, has been widely used as a photocatalyst given its non- toxicity, photochemical stability, and high photocatalytic activity [7–9]. Nevertheless, the relatively large 3.2 eV band gap for TiO 2 renders it an inefficient catalyst since its response is limited onto ultraviolet light range that accounts for only 4% of the solar spectrum [10,11]. Despite the on-going improvements in TiO 2 –based photocatalyst performance, it is still desirable to develop an alternative photocatalyst that can harness visible light so that a more efficient use of solar energy can be achieved [12]. Given its narrow bandgap of 1.8 eV, molybdenum disulphide (MoS 2 ) can absorb light in the visible light range [13,14]. This characteristic makes it suitable for photocatalytic application under visible light. In 1999, Thurston et al. studied the photooxidation performance of MoS 2 nanocluster for the first time [15]. He confirmed that MoS 2 nanocluster exhibits photodegradation activity for organic molecules under visible light. So, the higher utilization of solar radiation for nano MoS 2 makes it a possible alternative to TiO 2 . Still, the drawbacks of MoS 2 lie on the quick recombination of the photo- generated electrons and holes under visible light excitation, the corrosion during reaction, and the particle aggregation induced by their small size. To address these drawbacks, support materials have often been added to suppress the nanoparticle aggregation and the charge recombination process [16]. As support materials, carbon nanofibers (CNFs), which have been utilized as electrode materials, adsorbents, and catalyst substrates, become an attractive candidate given their large surface areas, high http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2017.05.145 Received 28 April 2017; Received in revised form 16 May 2017; Accepted 19 May 2017 ⁎ Corresponding author. 1 These authors contributed equally to this work. E-mail address: chenguihua518@tzc.edu.cn (G. Chen). Ceramics International 43 (2017) 11028–11033 Available online 22 May 2017 0272-8842/ © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved. MARK