Novel ZnO/CuBiS2 nanocomposites with p-n heterojunctions for persulfate-promoted photocatalytic mitigation of pollutants under visible light

Herein, novel ZnO/CuBiS2 photocatalysts with p-n heterojunction were fabricated by a facile hydrothermal method and they were utilized for activation of potassium persulfate (KPS) to improve photodegradation of different pollutants under visible light. After adding KPS, ZnO/CuBiS2 (5.0%)/KPS system represented an efficient performance for degradation of Congo red (CR), Fuchsine, rhodamine B (RhB), and methyl orange (MO). The outcomes exhibited that RhB could be almost completely eliminated in 180 min, while only 17.2%, 71.4%, and 60.1% of RhB were degraded on the pristine ZnO, ZnO/KPS, and ZnO/CuBiS2 (5.0%) sample, respectively. Hence, the synergistic impact of KPS and heterogeneous photocatalysis were corroborated by the ZnO/CuBiS2 (5.0%) nanocomposite in the degradation reactions. The radical quenching tests indicated that •O2−, •SO4−, h+, and •OH all contribute to eliminate pollutants. Additionally, the ZnO/CuBiS2 (5.0%)/KPS system exhibited prominent reusability in the photocatalytic reaction system.