  ZnO-based photocatalysts are widely investigated photocatalytic materials for
pollutant degradation due to their low cost, abundance, and eco-friendly
characteristics. However, the effectiveness of its photocatalytic properties is
limited by inherent challenges such as a wide bandgap, photo-corrosion, and
rapid recombination of photogenerated charge carriers. In order to overcome
these limitations observed in traditional ZnO photocatalysts and enhance their
photocatalytic properties, an alternative approach has been proposed. This
study introduces an oxygen defects-mediated Z-scheme mechanism for charge
separation in the heterojunction by coupling Ov-ZnO with CdS, alongside the
incorporation of rGO as an electron mediator. This mechanism aims to enhance
the photostability and visible-light-induced photocatalysis properties of ZnO.
Our work focuses on the development and characterization of trinary
Ov-ZnO-rGO-CdS pho-to-catalysts, aiming to enhance their photocatalytic
properties for efficient energy conversion and environmental applications. To
characterize the trinary Ov-ZnO-rGO-CdS photocatalysts, we employed a range of
characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy,
UV-Visible spectroscopy, Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy,
Photo-luminescence spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This
approach not only provides insights into the defect-dependent interfacial
mechanism in heterostructure nanocomposites but also opens promising
possibilities for developing high-performance ZnO-based photocatalysts for
energy conversion and environmental applications
