Promptness of tetracycline pollutant degradation via CuCo2O4@ZrO2 nanocomposites photocatalyst

Abstract

A new nanocomposite of CuCo2O4@ZrO2 photocatalyst was prepared through a simple wet chemical technique with varying CuCo2O4 concentrations. It is applied as a significant essential route for the photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline pollutants under visible light. The nanocrystalline modification and surface structure of CuCo2O4@ZrO2 were successfully confirmed using XRD as well as XPS patterns, demonstrating the possibility of CuCo2O4 being incorporated inside the ZrO2 arrangement. The obtained TEM results were further demonstrated the spherical and uniform distribution of CuCo2O4 nanoparticles among the ZrO2 structure. Using visible light, the CuCo2O4@ZrO2 photocatalyst was examined as a novel photocatalyst towards the elimination of tetracycline pollutants. The CuCo2O4 content confirmed the photocatalytic action associated with the degradation of tetracycline pollutants. A maximum value of tetracycline pollutant degradation was obtained for 1.5 wt%-added CuCo2O4 to ZrO2, showing a considerable improvement in photocatalytic activity at the optimized dose in solution. The recycled CuCo2O4@ZrO2 nanocomposite showed a high performance even after five cycles of application. By depressing the bandgap energy and upsurging the photoinduced charge separation, the addition of CuCo2O4 to ZrO2 nanoparticles greatly increased the photocatalytic activity. As a result, the developed CuCo2O4@ZrO2 nanocomposite could be employed as a green photocatalyst for crucial degradation activities.