Engineering 0D/2D design of zinc sulfide quantum dots encapsulated with yttrium tungstate nanosheets for improving decomposition of organic dyes and doxycycline hydrochloride drug

Herein, it is demonstrated that 0D/2D design of zinc sulfide quantum dots encapsulated with yttrium tungstate nanosheets, which were subsequently used to increase the removal of brilliant blue (BB), methyl red (MR) dyes and doxycycline drug using UV-visible light. The produced ZnS-Y₂WO₆ nanohybrids exhibited excellent catalytic activity, reaching degradation efficiencies of around 89.92%, 80% and 85.51 % for BB, MR dyes and doxycycline drug, respectively, with a minimum irradiation duration of 120, 60 and 125 min. These nanohybrids outperformed Y₂WO₆ in terms of photocatalytic efficacy due to enhanced light absorption, efficient charge transfer, and decreased charge carrier recombination between ZnS and Y₂WO₆ nanoparticles. The synergistic combination of ZnS and Y₂WO₆ nanoparticles resulted in multiple active sites on the composite surface. Furthermore, the ZnS-Y₂WO₆ nanohybrids maintained excellent degradation efficiencies of 79.45% and 70.12% for BB and MR dyes, respectively, even after five consecutive cycles, with no significant loss of catalytic activity. The produced ZnS-Y₂WO₆ nanohybrids were thoroughly analyzed utilizing a variety of analytical methods. Furthermore, the degradation of organic dyes and doxycycline drug related possible mechanism were examined using experimental data, indicating the potential of ZnS-Y₂WO₆ nanohybrids as excellent photocatalytic materials for oxidizing organic dyes and drugs in aquatic conditions.