Fabrication of ZnO and ZnO/CuMoO₄ for the improvement of photocatalytic performance

Herein, ZnO and ZnO/CuMoO₄ were fabricated at the interface of nonpolar and polar using Bambusa vulgaris Schard leaf extract (BVLE). UV–Vis DRS analysis validated that the band gap energy for ZnO, and ZnO/CuMoO₄ were 3.14 eV and 2.71 eV, respectively. The photocatalytic performance of ZnO/CuMoO₄ was improved for dye degradation after 120 min illuminated by visible light, resulting in an efficiency of 93.4 %. On the contrary, ZnO attained a degradation efficiency of only 55.5 % in the same conditions. Kinetic analysis disclosed that the reaction rate constant over ZnO/CuMoO₄ (0.025 min⁻¹) was about 3 times faster (0.008 min⁻¹) than that over ZnO explained by the pseudo-first-order method. The improvement of photocatalytic performance was ascribed to the enlarged light absorption in the visible and the suppression of recombination of photogenerated carriers. The present research demonstrated an effective choice for the improvement of the performance of ZnO in the photocatalytic treatment of dye degradation.