Hierarchical mesoporous CuO/ZrO2 nanocomposite photocatalyst for highly stable photoinduced desulfurization of thiophene

The production of ultra-low sulfur or sulfur-free fuel has become a remarkable challenge in fuel generation. Herein, an efficient and straightforward strategy to develop mesoporous CuO/ZrO2 nanocomposite photocatalyst was achieved for thiophene desulfurization under visible exposure. TEM image presented the co-existence of CuO and ZrO2 in the as-constructed heterojunctions with close contact and an average particle size of 45 nm. The obtained mesoporous CuO/ZrO2 photocatalyst exhibited a much larger photocatalytic ability toward the thiophene oxidation compared with pristine ZrO2. The photocatalytic efficiency for thiophene oxidation over 7% CuO/ZrO2 nanocomposite was 100% within 120 min. The optimized 7%CuO/ZrO2 nanocomposite showed 2.62 folds superior photocatalytic ability for thiophene oxidation compared to pristine ZrO2. The rate constant of 7% CuO/ZrO2 nanocomposite was determined 0.0172 min- 1, which boosted 3.5 folds greater than ZrO2 NPs. The superior photocatalytic performance of the CuO/ZrO2 photocatalysts is explained by the constructed heterojunctions to build the S-scheme mechanism, large surface area, intense absorption in the wide visible region, ease separation of electron-hole, and design mesopore of the CuO/ZrO2 photocatalysts. The recyclability exhibited the stability of photocatalytic oxidation of thiophene for five consecutive recycle runs. The plausible photocatalytic oxidation of the thiophene mechanism over CuO/ZrO2 photocatalyst was addressed. Thus, the current research opens a green and efficient avenue for the desulfurization of thiophene under moderate conditions, and it provides a novel insight for utilizing ZrO2-based photocatalyst to treat pollutants under visible light.