Solar-Energy-Driven Cu-ZnO/TiO2 Nanocomposite Photocatalyst for the Rapid Degradation of Congo Red Azo Dye

This study effectively demonstrates the sonochemical synthesis of visible-light-responsive Cu-ZnO/TiO2 ternary Z-scheme heterojunction nanocomposite photocatalyst. The as-prepared photocatalyst was comprehensively characterized by techniques including high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), field emission scanning (FE-SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and elemental dot mapping, diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis-diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis-DRS), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR). photocatalytic activity assessed for degradation Congo red (CR), an azo dye, under direct sunlight. pseudo-first-order rate constant CR found to be 0.09 min?1. outcome implies that synthesised excellent sunlight as 98% dye achieved in approximately 20 min using Furthermore, its high recoverability reusability five times indicate catalytic potential.