Duality in the Mechanism of Hexagonal ZnO/CuxO Nanowires Inducing Sulfamethazine Degradation under Solar or Visible Light

This study presents the first evidence for the photocatalytic performance of ZnO/CuxO hexagonal nanowires leading to sulfamethazine (SMT) degradation. The chemical composition of the nanowires was determined by X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The sample with the composition ZnO/Cux = 1.25O led to faster S...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Catalysts 2019-11, Vol.9 (11), p.916
Main Authors: Yu, Jiajie, Kiwi, John, Wang, Tianhe, Pulgarin, Cesar, Rtimi, Sami
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biodegradation
Catalysts
Charge transfer
Chemical composition
Chemical reactions
Conduction bands
Corrosion
High performance liquid chromatography
interfacial charge transfer
Kinetics
Light
Light irradiation
metal-oxide nanowires
Morphology
Nanowires
Oxidation
Photocatalysis
Photodegradation
Photoelectrons
Potential energy
Redox reactions
sulfamethazine degradation
surface plasmon resonance
X ray photoelectron spectroscopy
X-ray fluorescence
Zinc oxide
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Summary:This study presents the first evidence for the photocatalytic performance of ZnO/CuxO hexagonal nanowires leading to sulfamethazine (SMT) degradation. The chemical composition of the nanowires was determined by X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The sample with the composition ZnO/Cux = 1.25O led to faster SMT-degradation kinetics. The SMT-degradation kinetics were monitored by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The morphology of the hexagonal nanowires was determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mapped by EDX. The redox reactions during SMT degradation were followed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The interfacial potential between the catalyst surface and SMT was followed in situ under solar and indoor visible light irradiation. SMT-degradation was mediated by reactive oxidative species (ROS). The interfacial charge transfer (IFCT) between ZnO and CuxO is shown to depend on the type of light used (solar or visible light). This later process was found to be iso-energetic due to the potential energy positions of ZnO and CuxO conduction bands (cb). The intervention of surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) species in the SMT degradation is discussed.
ISSN:2073-4344
2073-4344
DOI:10.3390/catal9110916