Facile fabrication of ternary CuO/CuS/ZnS for photodegradation of methylene blue

Abstract

Synthetic dyes play a vital role in our daily life because they are utilized in products ranging from clothing to leather accessories. Unfortunately, these carcinogenic dyes are discharged into water streams any prior process considering the health problems in aquatic life and human beings. It is mandatory to separate noxious materials from wastewater. Semiconductors are viewed as a viable possibility for photocatalytic mineralization of noxious dyes. Herein, facile in situ hydrothermal approach (HT) was utilized for the fabrication of CuO, CuS ZnS, and their ternary CuO/CuS/ZnS nanocomposite. The fabricated CuO/CuS/ZnS nanocomposites were analysed through powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM–EDX), and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis). Moreover, the optical investigation manifested the bandgap energy value of copper oxide, copper sulphides, zinc sulphides, and ternary CuO/CuS/ZnS nanocomposite, corresponding to 2.63, 3.1, 4.51, and 2.2 eV, respectively, which was estimated from absorption spectrum. Subsequently, the photocatalytic results of CuO, CuS, ZnS, and ternary CuO/CuS/ZnS nanocomposite against methylene blue (MB) dye were 71%, 42%, 45%, and 96%, respectively. The photocatalytic scheme showed the role of hydroxyl radicals and electrons in the photodegradation reaction. Our finding suggests that the fabricated nanocomposite shows superior photocatalytic efficiency towards mineralization of methylene blue which can be used for commercial applications. © 2023, The Korean Ceramic Society.