Abstract
A novel tertiary heterojunction based on Cu-ZnO/CdS/rGO was successfully designed and produced from graphite, Zn2+. Cu2+, and Cd2+ precursors. The produced materials underwent thorough characterization, including microstructure, surface charges, chemical groups, elemental composition, as well as optical properties. The Cu-ZnO/CdS/rGO photocatalytic system exhibited a response to visible light, with an Eg = 1.8 eV, leading to a capability of generating efficient charge carriers by visible light irradiation. The combination of Cu-ZnO/CdS/rGO led to a reduction in recombination rate of charge carriers. Various factors such as pH, catalyst load, pollutant concentration, and reaction time, were methodically investigated for their influence on photocatalytic degradation of Direct Blue 71 (DB 71).The developed Cu-ZnO/CdS/rGO heterojunction exhibited a significant improvement in decomposition yield compared to individual components (from 1.26 to 2.0-fold). Under optimal conditions (pH 6.5 and 500 mg/L catalyst load), over 93 % of 0.05 g/L DB 71 were decomposed in just 100 min by visible light catalyzed by Cu-ZnO/CdS/rGO system, and the decomposition process fit the best the pseudo-1st-order kinetics, with coefficients in the range of 0.889 to 0.983. The primary species responsible for DB 71 degradation was the (O2•-), revealing that graphene sheets of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) might play an important role for electron transfer and react with dissolved O2 molecules to generate O2•-. This research introduces an innovative method to develop an efficient and feasible photocatalytic system, offering potential for use in practical wastewater treatment systems dealing with synthetic dye contamination.
Published Version
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