Facile assembly of CoS/Ag2MoO4 nanohybrids for visible light-promoted Z-type-induced synergistically improved photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics

Antibiotics have distinguished as hazardous emerging pollutants in environment, since they do not fully decomposed. Semiconductor photocatalysis are a promising technology for degradation of refractory organic pollutants under visible illumination. The assembly of compatible photocatalytic heterojunctions with suitable band structures achieves a promising approach for boosting the photodegradation performance. Herein, novel heterogeneous structured CoS/Ag2MoO4 nanohybrids were simply constructed via precipitation and tested by range of characterization procedures (XRD, UV–vis DRS, FESEM, TEM, PL, EIS, N2-adsorption/desorption, and EDX). At a specific conditions (photocatalyst dose 0.3 g/L, pH natural, and levofloxacin (LFX) antibiotic concentration 20 ppm), the CoS/Ag2MoO4 nanohybrid presented LFX degradation performance of 98.6 % in 90 min of solar-simulated illumination, which is exceeding that of pristine Ag2MoO4 (42%) and bare CoS (27%). The mechanism together with the photodegradation pathways were clarified in details. It is demonstrated that the extended range of visible light absorption and improved charge carriers separation induced by the plasmonic Z-type heterojunction formed between Ag2MoO4 and CoS were in charge for the enhancement of photocatalytic efficiency. The present work can contribute to develop effective and rapid photocatalysts for environmental requirements.