CoWO4 decorated ZnO nanocomposite: Efficient visible-light-activated photocatalyst for mitigation of noxious pollutants

Highlights: • CoWO4/ZnO nanomaterials was fabricated via simple co-precipitation route. • The SEM reveals the morphology structure of CoWO4/ZnO, the nano-beats of ZnO was incorporated with the matrix of CoWO4. • The degradation rate at 93.13% and 98.65% for CIP drug and MB dye. • The different optimum parameters and the recycle ability were studied. • In ROS study, • OH species shows a predominant role in the photocatalytic reactions. Herein, well-designed eco-friendly CoWO₄/ZnO (CoW/Zn) nanocomposite was fabricated by straightforward hydrothermal method using beyond any harmful surfactants or template. The structure and morphology of samples were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, and UV–Vis DRS analysis. The photocatalytic behavior of CoW/Zn nanocomposite was examined by the deterioration of ciprofloxacin (CIP) drug and methylene blue (MB) dye under visible light irradiation. The CoW/Zn nanocatalyst exhibits excellent catalytic activity to the elimination of CIP drug and MB dye with 93.13% and 98.65% of efficiency, respectively. Radical trapping experiment proved that the ^.OH species portray a major part in the photodegradation process. In addition, the CoW/Zn nanocomposite showed better repeatability efficiency. The present study developed a new strategy to fabricate the recoverable CoW/Zn nanocomposite for the degradation of hazardous organic moiety from the circumstance.