High UV light performance for the degradation of Rhodamine B dye by synthesized Bi2S3ZnO nanocomposite

Heterogeneous photocatalytic degradation of organics in water and wastewater by large band gap semiconductors has offered an attractive alternative for environmental remediation. Zinc oxide is a very fast and efficient catalyst because of its wide band gap and large exciton binding energy. In this study, an efficient Bi 2 S 3 ZnO was synthesized by sonochemical method. The obtained product was further characterized by TEM, SEM, XRD, FT-IR and UV–DRS analysis. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed that Bi 2 S 3 ZnO has flower-like structure. The synthesized flower-like Bi 2 S 3 ZnO nanocomposites were more efficient than commercial ZnO for the degradation of organic contaminants under UV light irradiation. The prepared material shows enhanced photocatalytic activity on Rhodamine B dye solution under UV light irradiation. The percentage removal of dye was calculated by UV–Vis spectrophotometer. In addition, Bi 2 S 3 ZnO showed tremendous photocatalytic stability after seven cycles under UV light irradiation. A possible mechanism for the photocatalytic oxidative degradation was also discussed. It is concluded that the Bi 2 S 3 ZnO nanocomposite acts as an excellent photocatalyst for the decomposition of RhB and it could be a potential material for essential wastewater treatment.