Copper sulphide-Zirconium dioxide nanocomposites photocatalyst with enhanced UV-light photocatalysis efficiency: structural and methodology

ABSTRACT

To plan great photocatalytic performance, fast photo-generated charge recombination in nanocatalysts should be repressed. Thus, copper sulphide-Zirconium dioxide (CuS-ZrO₂) nanocomposites were synthesised via a facile chemical method. The field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) results indicated that a heterojunctions interface among CuS and ZrO₂. XRD analysis showed optimum CuS-ZrO₂ photocatalyst with an average diameter of 42.58 nm were found. The UV–vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS) illustrated that the synthesised CuS-ZrO₂ nanocomposites owned the highest absorption intensity in the UV-light range compared with pure ZrO₂ nanoparticles. The bandgap (E_g) values of ZrO₂ nanoparticles and CuS-ZrO₂ nanocomposites were found 3.55 eV, and 2.65 eV, respectively. These characteristic structural and optical property consequence showed that the CuS-ZrO₂ nanocomposites with great photocatalysis progress for degradation of tetracycline. Among the different ratio nanocomposites, CuS-ZrO₂-2 indicates the highest photocatalytic efficiency (97.15%) in acidic pH and 60 min. Photocatalytic was optimised by response surface methodology with the Box-Behnken model. The study provides a promising photocatalyst to be used for organic pollutant removal in a large scale.

KEYWORDS:

• ZrO₂
• photocatalysis
• CuS
• treatment
• optimisation

Acknowledgments

The researchers are thanking for the patronage of this project by the Islamic Azad University of Central Tehran Branch.

Disclosure statement

No, potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).