Facile Synthesis, Characterization, and Photocatalytic Activity of Hydrothermally Grown Cu2+-Doped ZnO–SnS Nanocomposites for MB Dye Degradation

Abstract

The morphology, chemical composition, and doping process of metal oxides and sulfides play a significant role in their photocatalytic performance under solar light illumination. We synthesized Cu2+-doped ZnO–SnS nanocomposites at 220 °C for 10 h, using hydrothermal methods. These nanocomposites were structurally, morphologically, and optically characterized using various techniques, including powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy. Their photocatalytic activity (PCA) on methylene blue (MB) pollutant dye was examined under 150 W solar light illumination. Mixed-phase abundances with hexagonal ZnO and orthorhombic SnS structures were observed. TEM micrographs showed changes in morphology from spherical to nano-flake structures with an increasing doping concentration. XPS indicated the chemical states of the constituent elements in the nanocomposites. UV-visible absorption spectroscopy showed a decrease in the bandgap with an increasing doping concentration. Strong PCA was observed due to the separation of charge carriers, a change in bandgap, and a high light absorption ability under solar light irradiation. The measured photodegradation efficiency of the MB dye was approximately 97% after 2 h. The movement of the charge carriers and the bandgap alignment of the synthesized composites are briefly discussed.

Enhanced Solar Light-Driven Photocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline Using Fe3+-Doped CdO/ZnS Nanocomposite: Mechanistic Insights and Performance Evaluation

“…This highlights that the primary reactive species responsible for the degradation of TC is the •OH radical. The catalytic removal of TC in the present work is compared with that previously reported in the literature, as shown in Table 1 [49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58]. The data reveal the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the Fe 3+ -doped CdO/ZnS nanocomposite.…”

Direct Hydrothermally Synthesized Novel Z-Scheme Dy3+ Doped ZnO/SnS Nanocomposite for Rapid Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Contaminants

“…Hence, the current study could be useful for maintaining the cycle of aquatic ecosystems and supplying safe drinking water. Comparative data pertaining to the photodegradation performance of ZnO-based nanocomposites are presented in Table 3 [22,[34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42]. When visible light is present, the photogenerated electrons and holes diffuse in opposite directions on the composite's surface.…”

Significantly Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance of Ag-doped Calcium Aluminate under Visible-light Irradiation

“…Hydrothermal method can effectively realize the doping of the semiconductor photocatalysts with different metal dopants [17,18]. GV dye is an esthetic pollutant and eutrophication which is discarded from textiles, leather, paper, and paint industries and pollutes water environment [19].…”