Photocatalytic Degradation of Rhodamine B Using ZnCo2O4/N-doped g-C3N4 Nanocomposite

• Published in: Journal of inorganic and organometallic polymers and materials 2024-07, Vol.34 (12), p.5925-5942
• Main Authors: Nasir, Kawthr H., Alshamsi, Hassan A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aqueous solutions; Carbon nitride; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Contaminants; Hydroxyl radicals; Hysteresis loops; Illumination; Inorganic Chemistry; Nanocomposites; Nanomaterials; Optimization; Organic Chemistry; Photocatalysis; Photodegradation; Polymer Sciences; Radiation dosage; Recyclability; Rhodamine; Scavenging; Synthesis
• ISSN: 1574-1443; 1574-1451
• DOI: 10.1007/s10904-024-03266-2

In this study, g-C 3 N 4, ZnCo 2 O 4, N-doped g-C 3 N 4 , ZnCo 2 O 4 / g-C 3 N 4 and ZnCo 2 O 4 / N-doped g-C 3 N 4 nanopowders were synthesized by the hydrothermal method and applied as photocatalysts to degrade Rhodamine B under visible light illumination in an aqueous solution. The as synthesized nanostructures were characterized via FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDS, TEM, UV–Vis DRS, and BET/BJH techniques. The XRD analysis revealed the successful synthesis of cubic ZnCo 2 O 4 and nanolayered g-C 3 N 4 . The BET/BJH analysis exhibited that all samples show a typical Type-III isotherm and H3-type hysteresis loops. The FTIR and EDX analyses validated the formation of the presumed nanomaterials. UV–Vis DRS results indicated that the loading of ZnCo 2 O 4 on N-doped g-C 3 N 4 effectively shifted absorption edge to longer wavelengths. The morphological study showed sufficient distribution of ZnCo 2 O 4 nanoparticles onto g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets. The photocatalytic degradation results show that photocatalytic performance can be enhanced by optimizing operating conditions, including irradiation time, catalyst dosage, RhB concentration and solution pH. The ZnCo 2 O 4 / N-doped g-C 3 N 4 showed the highest photodegradation efficiency of 92.34% RhB degradation in 60 min illumination. In addition, the results of scavenging study indicate that hydroxyl radicals ( • OH) play a main role in the photodegradation process. The kinetic study demonstrates that the photodegradation of RhB follows pseudo first order kinetic model. The recyclability study showed that the ZnCo 2 O 4 / N-doped g-C 3 N 4 nanocomposite retained 83.38% of its initial activity after reuse for five cycles. Furthermore, at optimum conditions, the COD removal efficiency was 79.55%, indicating that most of dye molecules are degraded. Therefore, the current designed system can be regarded as an efficient and effective approach for the remediation of water contaminants.