Hexagonal ZnO Research Articles

Enhanced optoelectronic properties of Ti-doped ZnO nanorods for photodetector applications

We report the effect of Ti-doping on structural, morphological, photoluminescence, optical and photoconductive properties of ZnO thin films. Pure and Ti(1, 3 and 5%)-doped ZnO thin films are deposited by the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the single-phase hexagonal wurtzite ZnO structure of all the films. Scanning electron microscope images suggest the formation of rod shaped particles in Ti-doped ZnO thin films. Photoluminescence spectra of all the films show emission peaks centered at 398 nm, 413 nm, 438 nm, 477 nm and 522 nm wavelengths. Optical properties support the semiconducting nature of all the films. The optical bandgap values are estimated to be 3.29 eV, 3.26 eV, 3.19 eV and 3.23 eV for ZnO, ZnO:Ti(1%), ZnO:Ti(3%) and ZnO:Ti(5%) thin films, respectively. Photoconductivity study indicates that ZnO:Ti(3%) thin film exhibits high responsivity, external quantum efficiency and detectivity of 0.30 AW-1, 97% and 5.49 × 1010 Jones, respectively, among all the films. The enhanced photoconductivity of Ti-doped ZnO thin films make them useful for optoelectronic applications.

Conduction mechanisms and relaxation phenomena along with electronic transition of ZnO/ZnNb2O6/Nb2O5 composite

This paper deals with the study of the physical properties of ZnO/ZnNb2O6/Nb2O5 composite. X-ray diffraction (XRD) proves the coexistence of hexagonal ZnO, tetragonal Nb2O5 and orthorhombic ZnNb2O6. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations reveals heterogenic distribution of grains with average size of about 456 nm. The dielectric measurements are performed in 20 Hz–1MHz frequency range between 150 °C and 350 °C. Theoretical fit demonstrates that the electric resistivity, associated to grains and grain boundaries, decreases as a function of temperature up to 275 °C. At 275 °C, the composite presents a semiconductor-metal transition, confirmed by the temperature-dependence of DC conductivity. Moreover, the AC conductivity variations suggest that the AC conduction mechanisms are explained by the Quantum-Mechanical Tunneling (QMT) model below 275 °C and the Non-Overlapping Small Polaron Tunneling (NSPT) one above 275 °C. Also, the activation energies, related to dielectric relaxation processes and DC conductivity, are almost equal: Ea ~ 0.53eV in the interval 150 °C < T < 275 °C, and Ea ~ −0.47eV for T > 275 °C. Moreover, the permittivity variations show the existence of interfacial Maxwell-Wagner-Sillars (MWS) and dipolar polarization.

Room temperature selective sensing of benzene vapor molecules using mixed oxide thin film of zinc oxide and cadmium oxide

The demand for the sensing of benzene vapor increases in recent times as its exposure to even 1 ppm concentration for 8 h leads to adverse health effects. Towards this, for the first time, we are reporting the room temperature benzene sensing properties of nanostructured ZnO–CdO mixed oxide thin films deposited using the spray pyrolysis technique. Three different ratios of ZnCl2 and CdCl2 (0.08:0.02 M), (0.06:0.04 M) and (0.04:0.06 M) were considered for the deposition of ZnO–CdO mixed oxide thin films. For the comparative analysis, pure ZnO thin film was also deposited and investigated. XRD pattern divulged the growth of cubic phased CdO and hexagonal wurtzite phased ZnO for the mixed oxide thin films deposited in the three different ratios. Surface morphologies revealed the formation of spherical nanograins for the pure ZnO thin film, whereas it started to aggregated randomly for the films deposited in the ratio of (0.08 M:0.02 M) and (0.06 M:0.04 M). In contrast, the mixed oxide thin film deposited in the ratio of (0.04 M:0.06 M) showed nanoflakes-like morphology. The pure ZnO thin film was selective towards ammonia vapor, whereas all the mixed oxide thin films were selective towards benzene vapor. In particular, the film deposited in the ratio of (0.04 M:0.06 M) showed a selective response of 453 towards 100 ppm of benzene with a response and recovery times of 57 and 65 s respectively at room temperature (48%RH). The detection range was found to be 1–200 ppm of benzene. The influence of grain boundary effect on the sensing response was also studied and reported.

Facile synthesis of Te-doped ZnO nanoparticles and their morphology-dependent antibacterial studies

The present study aims to carry out synthesis and characterization of Te-doped ZnO nanoparticles using an easy, low cost and solution-free thermo-mechanical method. The structural, morphological, optoelectronic characteristics of the as-prepared Te-doped ZnO NPs were analyzed by several techniques. From the FE-SEM studies, both pristine and Te-doped ZnO showed tube-shaped morphology when ground for 60 min. Remarkably, different grinding times caused the change in the shape of spherical ZnO NPs to tube-like ZnO. SEM images illustrate that spherical-like and hexagonal tube-like ZnO were prepared with grinding times 30 min and 60 min, respectively. XRD of Te-doped ZnO NPs (0.5wt%, 3wt%, 5wt%) revealed crystallite size of 10–20 nm. XPS results showed evidence for the binding energies of ZnO and Te. Disk diffusion assay showed that Te-doped ZnO NPs demonstrated good antibacterial activity against E. coli DH5α cells compared with pristine ZnO NPs. The mechanism of antibacterial activity of ZnO NPs was due to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), causing lipid peroxidation of the bacterial cell wall and resulting in the leakage of cellular contents and cell death. The photoexcited electrons were trapped by the oxygen vacancies and prevented the interaction between oxygen available on the exterior of the ZnO NPs and photoexcited electrons. This results in reducing the amount of ROS generation and subsequently lower antibacterial activity.

Synthesis and characterization of ZnO/ZnAl2O4/Zn2TiO4 composite films by Ar–O2 mixture hollow cathode glow discharge

In this study, ZnO/ZnAl 2 O 4 /Zn 2 TiO 4 composite nanostructured thin films are deposited assisted with hollow-cathode glow discharge (HCD). The films are deposited using various argon-oxygen gases mixture (0–50% O 2 ), and its effect on film quality, optical and electrical properties is examined. Remarkably, instead of metallic targets, ZnO, TiO 2, and Al 2 O 3 powders filled in hollow-cathode are used for deposition, and thus no specific metallic targets are required in this technique. The deposited films consist of hexagonal wurtzite ZnO structure, ZnAl 2 O 4, and Zn 2 TiO 4 phases, and the crystalline size of films increases for higher oxygen contents. The thickness of films reduced by increasing oxygen contents, and all deposited films exhibit transmittance higher than 82%. The carrier concentration and mobility increase, whereas resistivity decreases when a higher amount of oxygen is added. This study shows that HCD can effectively synthesize the composite film with good optical and electrical properties. Additionally, the film's properties and elemental composition can be tuned by changing the gas composition, and thus, no separate target metallic materials with the specific composition are required.

Determination of Dispersion Relation and Optical Parameters Induced by Exciton–Polariton Effect in Whispering-Gallery Microcavities Using Photoluminescence Spectroscopy

To realize the refractive index dispersion accurately is essential for the design of optical devices. In this paper, we study hexagonal ZnO microrod cavities. We measure angle-resolved photolumines...

Solution-based synthesis of Co3O4/ZnO p-n heterojunctions for rapid visible-light-driven oxidation of ciprofloxacin

Semiconductor photocatalysts become an ecological solution for the oxidative degradation of emergent wastewater pollutants under light irradiation. However, the enormous bandgap energy (Eg) and the fast recombination of photoinduced charges are still obstacles for the actual application. Here, we introduce a solution-based synthesis of hexagonal ZnO nanoparticles decorated with Co3O4 smaller nanocrystals at lower amounts (1.0 ~ 4.0 wt%) to produce p-n heterojunctions. These Co3O4/ZnO exhibited a mesoporous active surface texture with high surface area (144 ~ 160 m2 g−1). Also, the loading of Co3O4 dots to ZnO revealed a broader visible-light absorption and reduction of Eg to 2.53 eV compared to 3.49 eV of the pure ZnO. The produced heterojunctions were tested for ciprofloxacin's (CIP) photoelimination, as an emerging antibiotic probe waste in the water. The optimized 3.0 wt% Co3O4-loaded ZnO displayed a total elimination of 10-ppm of CIP after 30 min of visible-light exposure with sustainable recyclability. The captivated act of Co3O4/ZnO is referred to as the formation of p-n heterojunction between Co3O4 and ZnO that reduces the Eg and enhances the photocharge separation. This work signifies the use of this novel heterojunction photocatalyst in the remediation of pharmaceutical wastes.

ZnO thin films prepared by RF plasma chemical vapour transport for self-cleaning and transparent conducting coatings

ZnO thin films were prepared by chemical vapour transport method in inductively coupled plasma (ICP). The films were synthesized at different substrate positions and various oxygen/argon ratios. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that all the synthesized films at different positions are mixture of hexagonal ZnO and hexagonal Zn phases. The relative peak integrated intensity (RPII) of the ZnO phase is 83.6, 25.3 and 45.3%, for positions 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Morphology of ZnO films was found to be sensitive to substrate position. Flat flakes, bended nanowires (NWs) and nanoparticles morphologies are observed for positions 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The sample synthesized at 1 is stoichiometric, whereas the samples prepared in positions 2 and 3 are sub-stoichiometric. The films prepared at positions 1 and 3 have relatively high transmittance and low reflectance values, whereas the film prepared at position 2 has low transmittance and high reflectance. The ZnO film prepared at position 2 is hydrophobic with water contact angle of 112.2°, which can be used as self-cleaning coating. For ZnO films prepared with various O2 ratios, the RPII was 83.2, 88.0, 96.4 and 100% for films prepared with 10, 20, 30 and 40%, respectively. With increasing O2 ratio, the nanograins became bigger and the stoichiometry improved. The transmittance and optical bandgap increased, whereas the reflectance and refractive index decreased with increase in O2 ratio. The ZnO film synthesized with 30% O2 ratio has the highest figure of merit (FOM) value; thus, this film may be considered as the best ZnO film for transparent conducting coating applications.

Influence of defects on the structural, optical, photoluminescence and magnetic properties of Cr/Mn dual doped ZnO nanostructures

Cr (2%) doped ZnO and Cr, Mn (Cr = 2% and Mn = 2–4%) dual doped ZnO nanostructures were synthesized by chemical co-precipitation route. The hexagonal structure of Cr/Mn doped ZnO was not distorted by Mn doping and no secondary/impurity phases of Cr/Mn were detected in the XRD pattern. The reduced crystallite size at Mn = 2% is due to depression of growth rate and the dissimilarities between dopant and host ions and elevated crystallite size at 4% is accountable for the more defect sites in Zn-Cr-O lattice. The stable c/a ratio (~ 1.603) indicates that the hexagonal ZnO wurtzite structure of the synthesized composite is not affected by Mn substitution. The reduced crystallite size and the elevated UV–visible absorption at the higher wavelength side i.e., visible range at Mn = 2% recommended it for improved photocatalytic and efficient for solar cell applications. The broadening of energy gap at Mn = 2% is explained by Burstein-Moss (BM) band filling effect through energy level diagram. The presence of Zn-O-Cr/Mn bonding is confirmed by Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) studies. The elevated PL emission and the intensity ratio between the green and blue emissions revealed the existence of more oxygen vacancies and oxygen related defect sites in Zn-Mn-Cr-O lattice. The exhibited room temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) with strong magnetization in Cr, Mn doped ZnO is induced by both the oxygen vacancy mediated bound magnetic polarons (BMP) and the enhanced exchange coupling among the free electrons and local spin polarized electrons.

Aluminum Doping Contents Dependent Photoluminescence and Resistivity of ZnO Nanofilms

Using sol–gel spin-coating technique Al-doped ZnO nanofilms (AZONFs) were made on Si(100) substrates and characterized. The obtained nanofilms were annealed at 500 °C for 3 h in air. The effects of changing Al doping level (0 to 5 at%) on the structures, morphologies, electrical and photoluminescence characteristics of the nanofilms were evaluated. The XRD patterns of the AZONFs confirmed the formation of wurtzite hexagonal ZnO lattice with preferred growth along (101) lattice plane. In addition, the c-axis orientation of the AZONFs became weaker with the increase in Al doping contents. The surface morphologies, structures, electrical and optical properties of the AZONFs were found to be very sensitive to the Al contents changes. The nanofilm prepared with 1 at% of Al displayed lowest resistivity of 4.238 × 10−3 Ω.cm measured by the four-point probe method. The optical band gap energy (increased from 3.22 to 3.304 eV) and carrier mobility of the AZONFs were improved with the increase in Al contents. The proposed AZONFs may be advantageous for various high performance optoelectronic device applications.

Optical and electrical correlation effects in ZnO nanostructures: Role of pulsed laser annealing

This paper reports the preparation and characterization of some high quality polycrystalline ZnO nanofilms (ZNFs) deposited on silicon (Si) substrates via sol gel allied spin coating process. The properties of such deposited ZNFs were modified by Nd:YAG pulsed laser annealing at varied wavelengths. The impact of pulse laser wavelengths on the structural, morphological, optical and electrical characteristics of these nanofilms was evaluated. Annealing at third harmonic generation wavelength of 355 nm was found to produce ZNFs with much better polycrystallinity and strong lattice orientation than the one annealed at the fundamental wavelength of 1064 nm. Furthermore, annealing at the second harmonic generation wavelength of 532 nm could produce a typical ZnO crystal with apparent orientation. The observed modifications in the films structure and morphology were attributed to the laser treatment-mediated thermal effect. FESEM analysis of the films revealed the existence of varied nanostructures depending on the laser wavelength. Photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra of ZNFs exhibited a broad UV excitonic band and a narrow visible band related to defects. The laser irradiation induced generation of the oxygen vacancies were observed to reduce the electrical resistivity of the films and altered the optical band gap energies. Sample annealed at 355 nm disclosed the lowest resistivity of 23.532 × 10−3 Ω cm. Raman spectra of ZNFs confirmed the existence of hexagonal ZnO wurtzite structure. The narrowing of the E2high (437 cm−1) Raman phonon mode due to further annealing indicated an improvement in the films crystallinity and reduction in the local atomic defects related to the oxygen vacancy (VO+2). XPS analyses showed an improvement crystallinity and chemisorption of oxygen into the grain boundaries of the films due to the laser treatment in air at lower wavelength. In short, the pulsed laser annealing of ZNFs were established to be far more efficient process for the oxidation of Zn to ZnO than conventional annealing procedures.

The effect of reaction temperature on structural, optical and electrical properties of tunable ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by hydrothermal method

ZnO nanoparticles of different particle sizes were synthesized via the hydrothermal method by varying the autoclave reaction temperature from 100 °C to 200 °C. The shape and particle size of the produced ZnO nanoparticles were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–visible spectrophotometer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy technique (LIBS). These studies showed that the prepared samples had high purity crystalline structure with wurtzite hexagonal ZnO and its crystallinity increases as the reaction temperature increases. Its absorption spectrum showed that the maximum absorption intensity was shifted to a higher wavelength, followed by increasing their particle sizes as the reaction temperature increases. Its morphological images showed increases in roughness and decreases in particle sizes as the reaction temperature increases. The intensity of the characteristic Zn peak of LIBS spectrum was decreased due to increasing of their particle size as the reaction temperature increases. Finally, the dielectric behavior of the prepared samples was studied revealing the dependence on their particle sizes.

Facile production of three-dimensional chitosan fiber embedded with zinc oxide as recoverable photocatalyst for organic dye degradation

Herein we report on a facile and green strategy for continuous production of chitosan-zinc oxide fibers and then compare their photodegradation performance against three organic dyes (i.e., methylene blue (MB), methyl orange (MO) and Rhodamine B, respectively) under different lights. Chitosan-zinc hydrogel fibers (CS/Zn) with different zinc loadings are obtained by direct mixing of chitosan and zinc acetate solutions using a double-syringe injection device. The as-prepared CS/Zn fibers are then immersed into glutaraldehyde (GA) and sodium hydroxide solutions, respectively, and dried at T = 50 °C. The resultant CS/ZnO/GA fibers of ca. 617 μm in diameter are characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis and field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). XRD and FE-SEM data confirm that the CS/ZnO/GA fibers consist of a large amount of hexagonal wurtzite ZnO nanorods up to 550 nm in length, and exhibit three-dimensional interconnected macroporous architecture. Photodegradation results clearly show that the CS/ZnO/GA fibers are effective for the removal of organic dyes upon UV irradiation and can be easily recovered and reused for at least 6 consecutive cycles. Unlike most reported CS/ZnO nanocomposites, the current CS/ZnO/GA fiber shows a higher adsorption of cationic MB rather than anionic MO, the mechanism of which is proposed.

ZnO\u2013SnO2\u2013Sn nanocomposite as photocatalyst in ultraviolet and visible light

By combining ZnO with SnO2, it is possible to obtain a photocatalyst with an extended lifetime and increased activity range in both ultraviolet and visible light. The paper presents the synthesis of ZnO–SnO2–Sn nanocomposite. The morphology and structure of the samples were characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM–EDS and TEM–EDX analysis. The results showed that the synthesised nanocomposites consisted of hexagonal ZnO, cubic SnO2 and Sn nanoparticles. The results revealed that the highest removal efficiency (15.0%) of rhodamine B under visible light was achieved with ZnO–SnO2–Sn consisting of 10% of SnO2 and 5% of Sn, whereas the highest removal efficiency of methylene blue (95.6%) under UV light was achieved with ZnO–SnO2–Sn consisting of 10% of SnO2 and 1% of Sn. The presence of tin nanoparticles enhanced the photocatalytic properties directed towards visible light. The degradation of MB by ZnO–SnO2–Sn remained above 80% even in the 5th cycle, while under visible light during photodegradation the RB removal efficiency decreased from 20 to 14%.

Ultrasound-assisted green biosynthesis of ZnO nanoparticles and their photocatalytic application

AbstractEmploying plant extracts to obtain nanomaterials is an ecofriendly and highly appreciated synthetic approach. In this work a simple, green chemistry method, based on sol–gel, was used for ZnO nanoparticles synthesis by using two Sudanese medicinal plant extracts:Adanosia digitata(ZnO-A) andBalanites aegyptiaca(ZnO-B) under ultrasonic energy. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed the formation of wurtzite hexagonal ZnO nanostructures, while the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis displayed their diverse morphologies. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data showed the impact of extract via the variation in of the O1s and Zn2p3/2and Zn2p1/2orbitals binding energy of Zn–O. The UV-visible investigation indicated a variation of bandgap energy (Eg), where the ZnO nanoparticles displayed the lowestEg. The synthesized nanomaterials have exhibited high photocatalytic efficiency towards the methylene blue (MB) dye. The findings revealed the possibility of obtaining nanoparticles with tailored properties by using plants extracts.

Carbonaceous ZnO nanocomposite for sensing of H2S at sub-ppm concentrations

The present work describes the pyrolysis of zinc acetylacetonate carried out at 700 °C in a sealed quartz tube under inert ambient conditions. The resulting carbonaceous powder material was characterised by XRD and Raman analysis, electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. These analyses reveal that nanometre-sized hexagonal wurtzite ZnO is embedded in graphitic carbon and graphite oxide, forming a nanocomposite, designated ZnO/C/GO. A pellet of ZnO/C/GO was tested as a conductometric gas sensor for detecting hydrogen sulphide (H2S). The composite shows a rapid and significant response of 220% at 150 °C to 5 ppm of H2S gas, with response and recovery time of 20 s and 30 s, respectively. The detection limit is found to be 250 ppb of H2S, with good selectivity over SO2, NO2, CH4 and ammonia. The novel way to synthesise a carbonaceous nanocomposite, its sensitivity to H2S at a relatively low temperature (implying low power consumption), and its selectivity, promise a cost-effective carbonaceous oxide composite-based sensor for H2S at ppm concentrations.

Investigation on microstructure, energy gap, photoluminescence and magnetic studies of Co and Cu in situ doped ZnO nanostructures

Co (3%)-doped ZnO and Co, Cu (Co = 3% and Cu = 2 to 4%) dual-doped ZnO nanostructures were prepared using chemical co-precipitation route. The structural analysis indicated no alteration in the structure of hexagonal ZnO and the absence of secondary/impurity phases induced by Co/Cu addition into ZnO. The reduction of crystallite size (≈ 25 nm) at Cu = 2% is due to the suppression of growth rate and the dissimilarities between Co2+/Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions, and the enhanced crystallite size (≈ 29 nm) at Cu = 4% is responsible for the more defect sites associated with interstitials and vacancies of Co2+ and Cu2+ in Zn–O lattice. The persistent c/a ratio (~ 1.602) signified the absence of structural modification by Co/Cu substitution for Zn. The decrease in optical absorption, increase in transmittance and the enhanced energy gap of ZnO by Co/Cu addition were discussed by consideration of dopants and the stimulated defect states. The continuous widening of energy gap (ΔEg ≈ 0.08 eV) with Cu substitution is clarified using Burstein–Moss (BM) band filling effect through energy-level diagram. The existence of Zn–O and Zn–Co/Cu–O bondings around ≈ 442–468 cm−1 was verified by Fourier transform infra-red analysis. The elevated intensity ratio between green and ultra-violet photoluminescence (IG/IUV) at higher Cu concentration, Cu = 4% (≈ 0.74), revealed the occurrence of higher number of defects, particularly oxygen-related defect states, in (Zn, Co, Cu)O lattice. The observed room temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) in Co, Cu-doped ZnO nanostructures is discussed based on the oxygen vacancy-mediated bound magnetic polarons (BMP) and the exchange interaction between the free electrons and local spin-polarized electrons.

Europium (Eu3+) - doped ZnO nanostructures: Synthesis, characterization, and photocatalytic, chemical sensing and preliminary assessment of magnetic properties

We have successfully synthesized single-phase wurtzite hexagonal ZnO:Eu3+ (1, 5 and 10 mol %) nanoparticles via facile co-precipitation method. The samples have been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and UV–visible spectroscopy. Change in optical band gap is explained by invoking the existence 4f electronic states of Eu3+ in the band gap of ZnO. Photocatalytic performance of these samples for degradation of methyl orange (MO), rhodamine B (Rh B) and picric acid (PA) under UV illumination is found to be 3–3.5 times higher than pure ZnO. However, 5 mol% doping exhibited the highest catalytic efficiency. This sample was also highly sensitive and selective for PA, and the limit of detection was: 1.790 μM, 1.140 μM and 1.751 μM for 1, 5 and 10 mol% Eu3+ doped ZnO samples respectively. Finally, all samples behave weak ferromagnetically at room temperature, but a systematic increase in the ferromagnetic-like response is noticed with Eu3+ concentration, despite finding no evidence of secondary magnetic phases; EuO and Eu2O3 from XRD measurements. Conceivably, the observed ferromagnetic order is attributed to defect induced f7– ferromagnetism. Indeed, low concentration of Eu3+ dopant is found to be more significant, as reported by different groups.

Synthesis of photocatalytic CdO-imbedded ZnO nanopebbles for enhanced biocidal activity

CdO-imbedded ZnO nanopebbles have been synthesised by a two-step process. The scanning and transmission electron microscopic images display the morphology and size (62–98 nm). The selected area electron diffractogram reveals the presence cubic CdO and hexagonal ZnO, the latter is confirmed by X-ray diffractogram. Implantation of CdO in ZnO lattice increases the charge transfer resistance. However, the absorption and emission are unaffected by the implanted CdO. The nanopebbles are powerful bactericidal material; the antibacterial activity of nanocrystalline CdO/ZnO is larger than those of CdO and ZnO nanoparticles. Further, CdO-implantation in ZnO nanopebbles does not suppress the photocatalytic activity. Thus, the title material is a powerful bactericide with unsuppressed photocatalytic activity.

Biomass-derived active Carbon@ZnO/SnO2 novel visible-light photocatalyst for rapid degradation of linezolid antibiotic and imidacloprid insecticide

Creation of novel clean light responsive photocatalytic organization requires adequate technical skills and exhaustive efforts. The aim of the current study is to create novel, highly influential photocatalyst frameworks working under visible-light utilizing ZnO/SnO2 nanocomposites in conjugation with biomass originated active carbon (AC) for environmental concerns. The ZnO/SnO2 nanocomposite was created by the sol-gel approach followed by ultra-sonication technique to form trio combination with AC. The XRD investigation displays rutile tetragonal structure of SnO2 and hexagonal wurtzite phase of ZnO in all fabricated nanocomposites. The XPS and FTIR investigations confirmed the elemental composition and successful establishment of trio structure of AC, ZnO and SnO2. Perfect tailoring during the creation process results in achieving band gap values of various AC@ZnO/SnO2 nanocomposites in visible region. The FESEM images of AC@ZnO/SnO2 nanocomposites exhibit particles, rods and sheets like-structures confirming the successful creation of impeccable organization among AC, ZnO and SnO2. The HR-TEM image of 10% AC@ZnO/SnO2 nanocomposite revealed the crystallographic planes (101) and (110) for hexagonal wurtzite ZnO and tetragonal rutile of SnO2. Among various created nanostructures, the 10% AC@ZnO/SnO2 trio organization was found to be the most influential with 94.6 % removal of target linezolid antibiotic and almost complete destruction of insecticide imidacloprid and MB complex structure in just 25 minutes under visible light condition. The 10% AC@ZnO/SnO2 photocatalyst was found to be the most influential candidate giving ⁓ 8.16 times higher detrimental skills than that of pure SnO2. These extraordinary outputs by the newly fabricated 10%AC@ZnO/SnO2 photocatalyst open a new gateway to exploit this promising material towards various environmental issues.