Nitrogen-Doped Hollow Carbon Spheres-Decorated CoSnO/WS Heterostructures with Improved Visible-Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dye.

Advanced photocatalytic materials for environmental cleanup need to be developed in response to growing concerns about water pollution. This paper presents a novel N-doped hollow carbon spheres (NHCSs)-supported CoSnO/WS heterostructure synthesized using a hydrothermal approach and examined using various characterization techniques to evaluate the crystal structures, functional groups, surface morphology, chemical properties, and optical characteristics. The photocatalytic performance of the CoSnO/WS@NHCSs composite was assessed by degrading Congo red (CR) under visible light, resulting in a notable degradation rate of 87.22% in 60 min. The enhanced degradation efficiency is ascribed to the Z-scheme heterojunction charge-transfer mechanism, which augments sustained charge separation while suppressing recombination under visible-light irradiation. Furthermore, the quenching experiments revealed that specific superoxide radicals (O) and hydroxyl radicals (OH) were integral to the degradation reaction, and a potential Z-scheme charge-transfer pathway mechanism for the effective CoSnO/WS@NHCSs photocatalysts was also suggested. The potential degradation mechanism was suggested using LC-MS analysis. This study highlights the promise of CoSnO/WS@NHCSs composites for practical wastewater treatment applications, providing a sustainable and effective solution for environmental remediation.