Photocatalytic degradation of metronidazole and methylene blue by PVA-assisted Bi2WO6–CdS nanocomposite film under visible light irradiation

Abstract

Abstract The enhanced photocatalytic performance of nanocomposite is synthesized via the hydrothermal method and characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–Vis DRS) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). Under visible light irradiation, PVA assisted Bi 2 WO 6 –CdS nanocomposite film displayed enhanced photocatalytic efficiency and inhibition of photocorrosion as compared with pure CdS, pure Bi 2 WO 6 and Bi 2 WO 6 –CdS composite. The PVA assisted Bi 2 WO 6 –CdS composite film catalyst showed stable catalytic performance until seven successive runs with 92% of methylene blue(MB) degradation, and easy to recover after degradation of organic pollutant. PVA assisted Bi 2 WO 6 –CdS nanocomposite film has optimal band edge position for superior photocatalytic degradation. Furthermore, the trapping experiment was carried out using different scavenger for active species. Among the active species, OH · are the most responsive species which play a vital role in the degradation of metronidazole and MB.