Enhancement of Photocatalytic Degradation of RhB Dye Using CuWO4/ZnO/N-g-C3N4 Nanocomposite Under Visible Light Irradiation

The development of photocatalytic materials for the degradation of hazardous pollutants in aqueous solutions is a research area of interest to researchers in the field of environmental remediation. This work investigates a simple hydrothermal method for preparing CuWO₄, g-C₃N₄, ZnO, and CuWO₄/ZnO/N-g-C₃N₄ as photocatalysts for the degradation of Rhodamine dye (RhB) in aqueous solution. The fabricated nanostructure was characterized using several advanced techniques. XRD analysis showed the presence of signals related to CuWO₄, g-C₃N₄ and ZnO suggesting that CuWO₄ and ZnO were loaded onto g-C₃N₄ sheets. Additionally, optical results showed a significant narrowing of the band gap energy of the CuWO₄/ZnO/g-C₃N₄ (2.85 eV) compared to pure ZnO (3.2 eV). The results of the optimum photocatalytic activity of CuWO₄/ZnO/g-C₃N₄ showed a degradation efficiency of 95.16% (photocatalyst mass = 1.2 g/L, dye concentration = 5 ppm, irradiation period = 80 min, and pH 9). Reuse results showed that the CuWO₄/ZnO/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite retained approximately 84.62% of its initial activity after five successive cycles.