Investigating the effect of hybrid sintering on photo-degradation efficiency of ZnO/TiO2 binary heterojunction against BBY dye for wastewater treatment

In this research, the hydrothermal approach was utilized to create ZnO/TiO2 composite and its modification form, hybrid sintered (HS-ZnO/TiO2) composites, for the photo degradation of Bismarck Brown (BBY) dye. XRD investigation reaffirmed the fabrication of desired composites without any impurity, whereas Rietveld refinement endorsed the good agreement between observed and calculated data. SEM findings demonstrated the enhancement in homogeneity and linear distribution of grains after applying hybrid sintering. UV-visible and PL spectroscopy were utilized to assess optical traits of the prepared composites. Photo degradation efficiency of the prepared heterojunction was estimated under varying pH, dosage amount, irradiation time, and BBY concentration. The hybrid-sintered samples not only exhibited excellent photocatalytic efficiency but also reusability for numerous cycles. The highest photo degradation of BBY for HS-treated composite achieved a degradation range of 92.6 %-98.7 % within the first 90 min. Current research offers a significant enhancement in the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of the prepared composites under hybrid sintering, displaying stability for multiple cycles.