Bridging and synergistic effect of the pyrochlore like Bi(2)Zr(2)O(7) structure with robust CdCuS solid solution for durable photocatalytic removal of the organic pollutants

Herein, a strong redox ability photocatalyst of CdCuS solid solution composited with pyrochlore like Bi(2)Zr(2)O(7) has been fabricated by the simple hydrothermal method. The robust CdCuS solid solution materials perform the supporting role to the Bi(2)Zr(2)O(7) nano materials. The structural, optical, valence and vibrational states of the prepared heterostructure materials were analyzed using various characterization techniques. The photocatalytic activity of the as-synthesized Bi(2)Zr(2)O(7)/CdCuS heterostructure has been verified under direct solar light and ambient conditions. The synthesized Bi(2)Zr(2)O(7)/CdCuS nano combination exhibits a better photocatalytic activity for the removal of methylene blue and 4-nitrophenol organic probe molecules. The heterostructure formation between the samples is confirmed by HRTEM analysis. The improved rate of the photocatalytic reaction of the samples is attributed to the formation of heterostructures at the interface. The close interfacial contact between the two materials discloses the effective charge transfer, which leads to suppressed charge carrier recombination. The enhanced photo catalytic activity of redox-mediator-free-Bi(2)Zr(2)O(7)/CdCuS heterostructure, possibly will be credited to the robust redox ability and the several charge transfer channels in the tight contact. The chief radicals produced in the catalytic reduction reaction have been predicted by the scavenger trapping methods and the results are discussed in detail. The obtained information from this study on Bi(2)Zr(2)O(7)/CdCuS delivers some new visions for the design of active photocatalysts with multiple benefits.