Environmental pollution from organic dyes in wastewater remains a critical global challenge. This study presents a novel of a "cotton floc-like" ZnO–BiOI hybrid material. By combining zinc oxide (ZnO) and bismuth oxyiodide (BiOI), we developed a heterostructure that significantly enhances photocatalytic activity under visible light . The unique morphology improves light absorption and facilitates the separation of photo-generated charge carriers. Our findings demonstrate rapid degradation of organic pollutants, high stability, and ease of recovery from aqueous solutions. 1. Introduction
The study successfully demonstrates a facile route to highly active ZnO–BiOI photocatalysts. The material’s high degradation efficiency and excellent recovery/reusability make it a promising candidate for practical industrial wastewater treatment. 124272
: The ZnO–BiOI heterostructure exhibited a significant redshift in light absorption compared to pure ZnO, confirming its efficacy under visible light. ZnO provides a robust
One-step synthesis of highly active cotton floc like ZnO–BiOI confirming its efficacy under visible light.
Traditional photocatalysts like TiO₂ often suffer from a wide bandgap, limiting their efficiency to the ultraviolet spectrum. Heterojunction engineering—coupling two semiconductors with staggered band alignments—is a proven strategy to extend light response into the visible range. This paper focuses on the system. ZnO provides a robust, non-toxic framework, while BiOI, a p-type semiconductor with a narrow bandgap, serves as a visible-light sensitizer. 2. Materials and Methods