ZnO/CuSe composite-mediated bandgap modulation for enhanced photocatalytic performance against methyl blue dye

The removal of toxic dye pigments from the environment is of utmost importance since even trace amounts of these pollutants can lead to harmful impacts on ecosystems. Heterogeneous photocatalysis is a potential technique for eliminating microbiological, inorganic, and organic pollutants from wastewater. Here, we report the band gap alteration of ZnO by making its composites with CuSe to enhance photocatalytic activity. The purpose is to develop metal oxide nanocomposites (ZnO/CuSe) as an effective and efficient material for the photodegradation of methyl blue. The photocatalysts, ZnO nanorods, CuSe, and ZnO/CuSe nanocomposites of different weight ratios were synthesized by the simple and cost-effective technique of precipitation. UV–Vis spectra verified that the ZnO/CuSe photocatalyst improved absorption in the visible region. The optical bandgap of ZnO/CuSe nanocomposites reduced from 3.37 to 2.68 eV when CuSe concentration increased from 10 to 50%. ZnO/CuSe composites demonstrated better photocatalytic activity than ZnO when exposed to UV–visible light. The pure ZnO nanorods could absorb UV light and the nanocomposites could absorb visible light only; this was attributed to the transfer of excited high-energy electrons from ZnO to CuSe.