Novel Mo-doped WO3/ZnO nanocomposites loaded with polyvinyl alcohol towards efficient visible-light-driven photodegradation of methyl orange

•Mo-doped WO3/ZnO@PVA novel nanocomposite is prepared and assessed its photocatalyticperformance.•The obtained composite was tested in a laboratory photoreactor to decompose methyl orange dye.•The 92 % of dyeis degraded by Mo-WO3/ZnO@PVA after 120 min of visible light irradiation. The purpose of this work was to develop a molybdenum (Mo)-doped WO3/ZnO and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) novel nanocomposite and then analyze and assess its photocatalyticperformance. The resulting composite was employed in a laboratory photoreactor to decompose methyl orange (OM) dye from synthetic wastewater. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, UV–vis spectroscopy, and a transmission electron microscope (TEM)were utilized to analyze the preparednanocomposite. The impact of Mo dopant and PVA addition upon crystallinity, optical bandgap, and morphology was investigated. It was shown that 92 % of MO dye can be degraded by Mo-WO3/ZnO@PVA after 120 min of visible light irradiation.