Photocatalytic performance of sulfur-doped zinc oxide: green synthesis via matoa leaf extract mediation

Abstract The rapidly expanding industrial sector frequently generates hazardous waste for the environment. Semiconductor materials can be employed to remove contaminants in the photocatalyst process. In this paper, sulfur-doped ZnO (at 1%–5% S) has been prepared using matoa leaf extract as a biostabilizer. The synthesized sample was characterized using XRD, FESEM, EDX, UV–vis, and spectroscopy to study its crystallinity, morphology, elemental composition, absorption, and functional group. XRD analysis confirmed a wurtzite hexagonal-shaped crystal with a high purity of ZnO without other phases. Dopant S does not significantly affect the size of the crystal. Nanoflakes of ZnO have changed to nanospheres as dopant S increases. The S dopants reveal broadening absorption peaks with narrow bandgap energy from 2.82–3.08 eV. Sulfur-doped ZnO successfully degrades 4-nitrophenol by 98.79% after illumination under UV light for 120 min. Therefore, S-doped ZnO green synthesis has a great opportunity to be applied to degrade pollutants found in the aquatic environment.