Empowering wastewater treatment with step scheme heterojunction ternary nanocomposites for photocatalytic degradation of nitrophenol
Abstract The ongoing challenge of water pollution necessitates innovative approaches to remove organic contaminants from wastewater. In this work, new two-dimensional S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts Bi2O3/CdS and MoS2/Bi2O3/CdS that are intended for the effective photocatalytic destruction of...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86975-z |
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| author | Zhu Liu Mah Roosh Ming Lu Aqsa Arshad Wenqi Xian Yuqiu Shen Guocong Liu Ali Bahadur Shahid Iqbal Sajid Mahmood Khalid M. Alotaibi |
| author_facet | Zhu Liu Mah Roosh Ming Lu Aqsa Arshad Wenqi Xian Yuqiu Shen Guocong Liu Ali Bahadur Shahid Iqbal Sajid Mahmood Khalid M. Alotaibi |
| author_sort | Zhu Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The ongoing challenge of water pollution necessitates innovative approaches to remove organic contaminants from wastewater. In this work, new two-dimensional S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts Bi2O3/CdS and MoS2/Bi2O3/CdS that are intended for the effective photocatalytic destruction of 4-nitrophenol, a dangerous organic pollutant, are synthesized and characterized. Utilizing a solvothermal method, successfully generated these ternary nanocomposites, which were characterized through various techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high resolution transmission electronmicroscopy (HRTEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Telle (BET) and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). Our results demonstrated that the Bi2O3/CdS heterojunction achieved an 86% degradation rate of 4-nitrophenol, while the MoS2/Bi2O3/CdS composite exhibited exceptional photocatalytic performance, achieving nearly complete degradation (99%) within 120 min under visible light irradiation. Most importantly the improved photocatalytic activity of MoS2/Bi2O3/CdS heterojunction originated from the release of internal electric field in S-scheme heterojunction. This enhanced activity is attributable to the synergistic effects of the heterojunctions that facilitate more effective charge separation and generation with more OP and RP confirmed the composite synthesis using S-scheme. The S-scheme is further confirmed by XPS, DRS, XPS-VB and photocurrent response. These findings highlight the promising application of these advanced photocatalysts in real-world wastewater treatment processes, offering a sustainable solution to combat water pollution. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ffa23780f2d24191875d5e356b93ba7f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-ffa23780f2d24191875d5e356b93ba7f2025-02-02T12:24:50ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-01-0115111510.1038/s41598-025-86975-zEmpowering wastewater treatment with step scheme heterojunction ternary nanocomposites for photocatalytic degradation of nitrophenolZhu Liu0Mah Roosh1Ming Lu2Aqsa Arshad3Wenqi Xian4Yuqiu Shen5Guocong Liu6Ali Bahadur7Shahid Iqbal8Sajid Mahmood9Khalid M. Alotaibi10School of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Huizhou UniversityDepartment of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences (SNS), National University of Science and Technology (NUST)School of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Huizhou UniversityCentre of Excellence in Solid State Physics, University of the PunjabSchool of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Huizhou UniversitySchool of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Huizhou UniversitySchool of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Huizhou UniversityNanomaterials Research Center, Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Mathematics, and Technology, Wenzhou-Kean UniversityNottingham Ningbo China Beacons of Excellence Research and Innovation Institute, University of Nottingham Ningbo ChinaNottingham Ningbo China Beacons of Excellence Research and Innovation Institute, University of Nottingham Ningbo ChinaDepartment of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud UniversityAbstract The ongoing challenge of water pollution necessitates innovative approaches to remove organic contaminants from wastewater. In this work, new two-dimensional S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts Bi2O3/CdS and MoS2/Bi2O3/CdS that are intended for the effective photocatalytic destruction of 4-nitrophenol, a dangerous organic pollutant, are synthesized and characterized. Utilizing a solvothermal method, successfully generated these ternary nanocomposites, which were characterized through various techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high resolution transmission electronmicroscopy (HRTEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Telle (BET) and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). Our results demonstrated that the Bi2O3/CdS heterojunction achieved an 86% degradation rate of 4-nitrophenol, while the MoS2/Bi2O3/CdS composite exhibited exceptional photocatalytic performance, achieving nearly complete degradation (99%) within 120 min under visible light irradiation. Most importantly the improved photocatalytic activity of MoS2/Bi2O3/CdS heterojunction originated from the release of internal electric field in S-scheme heterojunction. This enhanced activity is attributable to the synergistic effects of the heterojunctions that facilitate more effective charge separation and generation with more OP and RP confirmed the composite synthesis using S-scheme. The S-scheme is further confirmed by XPS, DRS, XPS-VB and photocurrent response. These findings highlight the promising application of these advanced photocatalysts in real-world wastewater treatment processes, offering a sustainable solution to combat water pollution.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86975-zSynergistic effectsTernary nanocomposites4-nitrophenolWastewater treatmentS-Scheme |
| spellingShingle | Zhu Liu Mah Roosh Ming Lu Aqsa Arshad Wenqi Xian Yuqiu Shen Guocong Liu Ali Bahadur Shahid Iqbal Sajid Mahmood Khalid M. Alotaibi Empowering wastewater treatment with step scheme heterojunction ternary nanocomposites for photocatalytic degradation of nitrophenol Scientific Reports Synergistic effects Ternary nanocomposites 4-nitrophenol Wastewater treatment S-Scheme |
| title | Empowering wastewater treatment with step scheme heterojunction ternary nanocomposites for photocatalytic degradation of nitrophenol |
| title_full | Empowering wastewater treatment with step scheme heterojunction ternary nanocomposites for photocatalytic degradation of nitrophenol |
| title_fullStr | Empowering wastewater treatment with step scheme heterojunction ternary nanocomposites for photocatalytic degradation of nitrophenol |
| title_full_unstemmed | Empowering wastewater treatment with step scheme heterojunction ternary nanocomposites for photocatalytic degradation of nitrophenol |
| title_short | Empowering wastewater treatment with step scheme heterojunction ternary nanocomposites for photocatalytic degradation of nitrophenol |
| title_sort | empowering wastewater treatment with step scheme heterojunction ternary nanocomposites for photocatalytic degradation of nitrophenol |
| topic | Synergistic effects Ternary nanocomposites 4-nitrophenol Wastewater treatment S-Scheme |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86975-z |
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