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The rapid discharge of antibiotic pollutants from pharmaceutical industries into natural water sources poses a significant threat to human health and the environment. Conventional water treatment methods often fail to effectively remove these contaminants, leading to a pressing need for eco-friendly degradation approaches. This study focused on synthesizing pure and iron-doped zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanoparticles using a microwave-assisted technique in aqueous solution to evaluate their photocatalytic efficiency in degrading the antibiotic cephalexin. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterized the synthesized nanoparticles, revealing crystalline structures approximately 5 nm in size. The photocatalytic capacity was assessed using a spectrophotometric method, demonstrating that both pure and iron-doped ZnS nanostructures exhibit higher efficiency in degrading cephalexin under UV irradiation. These findings underscore the potential of ZnS nanostructures for photocatalytic applications in environmental remediation, particularly in degrading resistant antibiotic pollutants, highlighting their role in addressing organic pollution in water sources. 

Semiconductor Zn-based nanomaterials have emerged as promising agents for the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater treatment. However, achieving efficient synthesis protocols capable of rapidly producing small structures directly in aqueous environments remains challenging. Microwave-assisted synthesis presents a viable solution by enabling one-step particle generation swiftly and directly in water through increased pressure, thereby easily elevating the boiling point. This study investigates the microwave-assisted one-step synthesis of pure and iron-doped ZnS nanoparticles and assesses their efficacy in photodegrading Quinoline Yellow (QY) in aqueous suspensions. The results demonstrate a significant degradation of QY in the presence of 1% iron-doped ZnS nanoparticles, achieving approximately 66.3% degradation with 500 ppm of doped nanoparticles after 270 min. These findings highlight the considerable potential of 1% iron-doped ZnS nanoparticles as effective nanocatalysts.