Bimetallic Cd_xZn_(1-x)O photocatalytic material for the degradation of levofloxacin under solar light irradiation

The quality of water resources is deteriorating day by day due to the continuous addition of undesirable chemicals to the environment. Significant attention is paid to antibiotics among various medications, as environmental contamination of antibiotics results in spontaneous mutation of the bacterial genetic material, which promotes bacterial resistance to antibiotics, leading to health problems and many other environmental issues. In this study, CdO, ZnO, and bimetallic Cd_(1-x)Zn_xO photocatalysts were prepared via the hydrothermal method. The prepared nanostructured photocatalysts were characterized by various analytical techniques such as (XRD), (XPS), (UV-DRS), (SEM) and (EDX). From XRD, the grain sizes of bimetallic photocatalysts were much larger than pure ZnO and CdO synthesized via the hydrothermal method. From the SEM analysis, uniform distribution of hexagonal plates of CdO, nanoflowers of ZnO, and mixed irregular morphologies of Cd_(1-x)Zn_xO samples were observed. A study of photocatalytic activity revealed that bimetallic Cd_(1-x)Zn_xO samples exhibit improved photocatalytic performance in the degradation of levofloxacin antibiotics under solar light irradiations. For around (69–96)% of levofloxacin, degradation was achieved within 4 h.