Tremella-like dysprosium oxide/Mxene/graphitic carbon nitride tertiary nanocomposite: Photocatalytic evaluation under visible light irradiation

• Published in: Diamond and related materials 2024-10, Vol.148, p.111411, Article 111411
• Main Authors: D, Vasvini Mary, S, Rubesh Ashok Kumar, G A, Suganya Josephine
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Environmental degradation; Graphitic carbon nitride; MXene; Photocatalyst; Rare-earth metal oxide
• ISSN: 0925-9635
• DOI: 10.1016/j.diamond.2024.111411

The removal of emerging pollutants from water and wastewater has recently received much attention. An advanced oxidation process based on semiconductor photocatalysts would be a viable option for treating such contaminants. In this work, Dy2O3/MXene/g-C3N4 (DMG) nanocomposite was prepared by a co-precipitation method. The prepared DMG photocatalyst was characterized by UV-DRS, FT-IR, XRD, AFM, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, EDAX, and XPS techniques. Its photocatalytic activity for the degradation of a model pollutant, Orange G dye (OG), under visible light irradiation, was investigated. The particle size of DMG was calculated from XRD and found to be 20–30 nm. Dy2O3/MXene was supported on g-C3N4 in various proportions. The optimal ratio was determined by evaluating the photodegradation efficiency of a model pollutant, such as orange G dye, under visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic activities of DMG 5 were higher than those of pure g-C3N4, and the reaction followed pseudo-first-order degradation kinetics. The existence of f-shells in dysprosium oxide traps the excited electrons and prolongs the process of electron-hole pair recombination, which results in improved photocatalytic activity. UV–visible spectroscopy measurements demonstrated the complete degradation of Orange G dye molecules in the aqueous phase by the DMG 5 nanocomposite. [Display omitted] •Rare-earth metal oxide and MXene-supported carbon-based material synthesized by co-precipitation method.•Photocatalytic activity of prepared catalyst examined against frequently used azo-dye (orange G).•Orange G dye was efficiently degraded to 99% under visible light assisted photocatalysis