Boosted charge separation via Ce2S3 over dual Z-scheme ZnO-Ce2S3-MnO2 core double-shell nanocomposite for the degradation of diverse dye pollutants

Tauseef Munawar; Taghrid S Alomar; Chang-Feng Yan; Saman Fatima; Faisal Mukhtar; Muhammad Shahid Nadeem; Najla AlMasoud; Shoukat Alim Khan; Muammer Koc; Yahya Zakaria; Faisal Iqbal

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2024.118675

Boosted charge separation via Ce₂S₃ over dual Z-scheme ZnO-Ce₂S₃-MnO₂ core double-shell nanocomposite for the degradation of diverse dye pollutants

Environ Res. 2024 Mar 16;251(Pt 2):118675. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118675. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academic of Sciences, No.2 Nengyuan Road, Wushan, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510640, China.
² Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia.
³ Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academic of Sciences, No.2 Nengyuan Road, Wushan, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510640, China. Electronic address: yancf@ms.giec.ac.cn.
⁴ Institute of Physics, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, 63100, Pakistan.
⁵ Division of Sustainable Development, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, P.O. Box 34110, Qatar.
⁶ Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, P.O. Box 34110, Qatar.
⁷ Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: faisal.iqbal@iub.edu.pk.

PMID: 38492838
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118675

Abstract

Herein, core double-shell direct dual Z-scheme ZnO-Ce₂S₃-MnO₂ nanocomposite was synthesized via a hydrothermal route along with pure ZnO, Ce₂S₃, MnO₂, and characterized by numerous characterization tools for application in synthetic dyes degradation. The XRD, Raman, and FTIR analyses have confirmed the nanocomposite formation. TEM images exhibited the core double-shell morphology with an average particle diameter of 81 nm and stacking of ZnO, Ce₂S₃, and MnO₂. EDX confirmed the existence of desired elements in the grown composition. The varied oxidation states, presence of defects, and fast charge transfer were also revealed from XPS, PL, and EIS. The ZnO-Ce₂S₃-MnO₂ nanocomposite has an optical energy bandgap of 2.84 eV, capable of decomposing harmful dyes with excellent efficiency, 99.81% MB, 97.62% MO, 88.5% MR, and 58.9% EY in 40 min sunlight exposure. The effect of several operating parameters is also observed and obtained results showed the optimal catalyst dose was 20 mg, pH of 8, and dye concentration of 10 ppm. The scavenger's experiment suggests that ^•O₂^- and ^•OH are the main active radicals in the photodegradation reaction which is also evident in the dual Z-scheme formation. The MnO₂ and ZnO layers covered the Ce₂S₃ (core) and dual Z-scheme formation allows rapid kinetics of redox reaction and provides plenteous channels for transfer of photo-generated charge carriers during photocatalysis. Thus, core double-shell direct dual Z-scheme photocatalysts having inorganic components could be an excellent choice for photocatalysis at the industrial level, particularly for water purification.

Keywords: Charge separation; Core double-shell; Dual-phase Z-scheme; Hydrothermal; Pollutant dyes.