The facile fabrication of multicomponent nanocomposite photocatalysts with assorted oxide-sulfide nanointerfaces is a promising approach to achieve improved charge carrier dynamics and photocatalytic activity. Herein, an in situ hydrothermal synthesis technique was designed for preparation of Bi18CrO30–α-Bi2O3 (BCO-BO) nanocomposite oxides using Bi-MOF as a sacrificial template. The tangential growth of BCO nanosheets over porous BO cuboidal nanorods was observed from morphology analysis. Subsequently, hydrothermal decoration of MoS2 nanoflowers over a BCO-BO scaffold led to the fabrication of Bi18CrO30–α-Bi2O3–MoS2 (BCBxMS) ternary nanocomposite. The MOF templated protocol induced lattice strain and afforded high surface area materials with an interlinked porous architecture. The oxide-sulfide heterojunction had a positive impact on the optical response and photoelectrical properties. The BCBxMS nanocomposite displayed improved charge mobility, robust absorption in the complete UV–vis region, and higher charge carrier dynamics. The BCBxMS heterojunctions were shown to be highly efficacious for N2 activation reaction (465.8 μmol g–1h–1) and inactivation of S. aureus bacteria. The microbial inactivation process was monitored using confocal microscopy and SEM and TEM analysis and correlated with the ROS generation efficacy. The improved textural parameters and strong reduction potential of photoelectrons achieved through dual S-scheme charge mobilization were crucial for N2 activation to NH4+ species. The dual S-scheme mechanism was successfully elucidated using detailed band position analysis, radical trapping, and VB-XPS and UPS studies. This study provides a simple and generalized approach for the morphology-regulated synthesis of oxide-sulfide nanocomposite photocatalysts with potential application in water decontamination and activation of atmospheric molecules to valued chemicals.
Nayak et al. (Mon,) studied this question.