Aditya Rianjanu, Rima Nurfitria, Eka Nurfani, Rizky Aflaha, Kuwat Triyana, Tarmizi Taher, Agustina Sus Andreani, Noto Susanto Gultom, Januar Widakdo, Dian Ahmad Hapidin, Erwin Peiner, Hutomo Suryo Wasisto
The widespread presence of pharmaceutical residues and dye contaminants in wastewater necessitates the development of efficient, low-cost photocatalysts. Here, zinc oxide/cerium oxide (ZnO/CeO2) composite nanoparticles were synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method, and their CeO2 content was optimized for the simultaneous degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP), tetracycline (TC), methylene blue (MB), and methyl orange (MO). X-ray diffraction shows that ZnO retains its hexagonal wurtzite structure, while secondary CeO2 reflections appear at ≥ 5 mol% CeO2, indicating a ZnO/CeO2 composite. The composites exhibit pronounced morphology changes relative to pristine ZnO and a moderate increase in specific surface area at optimal CeO2 loading. Optical analysis reveals only slight band gap variations (3.13–3.16 eV) with increasing CeO2 content, whereas photoluminescence increases progressively, with ZnO/CeO2-5 showing the lowest PL among Ce-containing samples, suggesting a favourable balance between charge separation and recombination. Consequently, the 5 mol% ZnO/CeO2 composite displays superior photocatalytic performance in single-pollutant tests, binary mixtures (CIP + TC, MB + MO), and a four-pollutant mixture, demonstrating efficient removal of complex antibiotic–dye systems. The enhanced activity is attributed to the combined effects of Ce3+/Ce4+ redox chemistry, oxygen-vacancy-related surface states, and intimate ZnO/CeO2 interfacial contact. © 2026 The Author(s). Advanced Materials Interfaces published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.
Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Industrial Technology, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, Lampung, Indonesia; Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia; Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Infrastructure and Regional Technology, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, Lampung, Indonesia; Research Center for Molecular Chemistry, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Banten, Indonesia; Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, Indonesia; Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia; Research Group of Physics and Technology of Advanced Materials, Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung, Indonesia; Institute of Semiconductor Technology (IHT) and Laboratory for Emerging Nanometrology (LENA), Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany; PT Biostark Analitika Inovasi, Bandung, Indonesia; PT Sciencemind Education Lab, Yogyakarta, Indonesia