A Z-scheme CuO–ZnO–ZnS–CuS quaternary nanocomposite for solar-light-driven photocatalytic performance

Abstract

A quaternary CuO–CuS–ZnO–ZnS nanocomposite was successfully synthesized via a facile microwave irradiation based on the preprepared ZnS and CuO nanoparticles. CuO–CuS–ZnO–ZnS nanocomposite was a porous photocatalyst, providing excellent adsorption performance. It was sensitive to both ultraviolet and visible light, moreover, the photoelectrochemical measurements confirmed that there was a high separation rate and low recombination rate of photo-generated charge carriers in the nanocomposite, endowing excellent photocatalytic activity in the sunlight. Under the simulated solar light irradiation, the removal efficiency of rhodamine B (RhB) pollutant (30 mg/L) over CuO–CuS–ZnO–ZnS nanocomposite was 33.98 and 2.90 times of pristine CuO and ZnS, respectively. The outstandingt photocatalytic performance was attributed to Z-scheme charge transfer path.