Designing ZnBi2O4/ZIF-67 Derived Hollow Co3O4 Decorated Reduced Graphene Oxide: A Hybrid Nanocatalyst with Boosted Visible-Light Photocatalytic Activities

• Published in: ACS applied engineering materials 2024-07, Vol.2 (7), p.1766-1783
• Main Authors: Choudhury, Shubhalaxmi, Sahoo, Ugrabadi, Pattnayak, Samarjit, Aparajita, Pragnyashree, Goutam, Uttam K., Hota, Garudadhwaj
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2771-9545; 2771-9545
• DOI: 10.1021/acsaenm.4c00203

Extensive investigations have been conducted to explore the photocatalytic degradation of economically harmful substances, employing a wide range of photocatalytic materials and various approaches. The successful degradation and elimination of persistent pollutants from aquatic environments remain a challenging task, requiring further advancements in efficiency. Hereby, we present a ZnBi2O4/ZIF-67 derived hollow Co3O4 decorated reduced graphene oxide (rGO) hybrid nanocatalyst (ZnBi2O4/ZIF-Co3O4/rGO:ZCG) fabricated through a facile thermal treatment approach. The synthesized ZCG heterojunction demonstrated exceptional catalytic effectiveness for the photocatalytic reduction of Cr­(VI) and photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) when exposed to visible radiation. A comprehensive array of analytical techniques was employed to thoroughly characterize the produced photocatalyst. In the realm of photocatalytic efficiency, ZCG-4 beats all other catalytic materials in eradicating model contaminants. Based on our outcomes, the ZCG-4 nanohybrid can reduce 97.4% (20 ppm, 60 min) of Cr­(VI) to Cr­(III), and degraded 92.5% (20 ppm, 120 min) of RhB, which is more superior to pristine and doublet nanohybrids. The improved photocatalytic Cr­(VI) reduction and RhB degradation may be attributed to the beneficial synergistic interaction between the rGO, ZnBi2O4, and ZIF-Co3O4 nanocomponents in the nanohybrid. Based on the data from the various experiments, we infer that the as-prepared photocatalyst functions via a Z-scheme charge transfer channelization mechanism, exhibiting a significant suppression of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs charge recombination. In addition, after five cycles of recycling, there is no obvious decline in the ZCG photocatalytic ability to catalyze Cr­(VI) and RhB. This research demonstrates that the as-obtained ZCG nanocatalysts have significant potential for effectively addressing the issue of environmental remediation of toxic pollutants.