Integration of Bi4O5I2 nanoparticles with ZnO: Impressive visible-light-induced systems for elimination of aqueous contaminants

In the present work, ZnO/Bi4O5I2 nanocomposites were constructed through refluxing procedure. The Nyquist plot, transient photocurrent response, and photoluminescence analyses affirmed enhancement in carrier segregation efficiency in the fabricated nanocomposite. The results exhibited that the ZnO/Bi4O5I2 (20%) nanocomposite demonstrates the best efficiency for the degradation of various pollutants, as compared to the single samples under visible light. The photoactivity of the ZnO/Bi4O5I2 (20%) photocatalyst is nearly 8.09, 26.1, 8.18, 10.4, and 19.2-times premier than that of the ZnO for decontamination of fuchsine, MB, MO, RhB, and phenol respectively. Furthermore, the ameliorated ability of the ZnO/Bi4O5I2 (20%) system is 2.45, 3.25, 2.28, 2.96, and 2.84 times higher relative to the ZnO/BiOI (20%) photocatalyst in elimination of fuchsine, MB, MO, RhB, and phenol, respectively. The boosted efficiency is because of the extension of absorption towards visible area, enhanced surface area, and more charge segregation in binary system. Moreover, with various quenchers, the outcomes of scavenging tests illustrated that O-center dot(2), (OH)-O-center dot, and h(+) have considerable role in the photocatalytic removal process and the inhibition extent is as BQ > 2-PrOH > AO. Also, the ZnO/Bi4O5I2 (20%) nanocomposite possessed significant recycle efficiency, whose utilization had almost no significant change up to four consecutive cycles. (C) 2021 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The synthesized ZnO/Bi4O5I2 nanocomposites exhibit enhanced efficiency in degrading various pollutants under visible light, with the 20% ZnO/Bi4O5I2 nanocomposite showing superior photocatalytic performance compared to single samples and other composite materials. The improved efficiency is attributed to enhanced absorption towards visible light, increased surface area, and enhanced charge segregation in the binary system.