Construction of ternary heterostructure of zeolite/Fe3O4/CuS/CuWO4 as a reusable: Characterization studies

Abstract

The presence of pharmaceutical pollutants in the environment has become a growing concern due to their persistence and toxic nature. In response to this issue, semiconductor photocatalyst materials have emerged as promising candidates for environmental pollutant removal, particularly under solar light irradiation. In this study, we developed a novel zeolite/Fe₃O₄/CuS/CuWO₄ heterojunction nanocomposite through a simple and facile method. The fabrication process involved a multistep approach wherein Fe₃O₄, CuS, and CuWO₄ were incorporated onto the surface of pure zeolite nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared, photoluminescence, and vibrating sample magnetometry were analyzed. The results demonstrated that the zeolite/Fe₃O₄/CuS/CuWO₄ heterojunction nanocomposite exhibited a synergistic integration of excellent properties, indicative of the successful construction of a heterostructure within the nanocomposite. Furthermore, the photocatalytic efficiency of the nanocomposite was evaluated for the degradation of the pharmaceutical pollutant fluoroquinolone levofloxacin (LEVO), and it outperformed individual photocatalysts. Notably, the zeolite/Fe₃O_4/CuS/CuWO₄ nanocomposite achieved an impressive degradation rate of approximately 82.67% of LEVO after 120 min of exposure. Importantly, the synthesized nanocomposite demonstrated excellent reusability, with a photodegradation efficiency of 60.45% after the fifth cycle of LEVO degradation, as there was no significant loss in photocatalytic activity over repeated cycles. Furthermore the highest total organic carbon removal efficiency estimated is 57.43% for heterojunction nanocomposite. These findings highlight the potential of the zeolite/Fe₃O₄/CuS/CuWO₄ heterojunction nanocomposite as an effective, eco-friendly photocatalyst for pharmaceutical pollutant removal from the environment.