Photocatalytic Performance on Visible Light Induced ZnS QDs-MgAl Layered Double Hydroxides Hybrids for Methylene Blue Dye Degradation

Photocatalytic activity of the biogenic mediated green synthesized CuO nanoparticles confined into MgAl LDH matrix

The global concern over water pollution caused by organic pollutants such as methylene blue (MB) and other dyes has reached a critical level. Herein, the Allium cepa L. peel extract was utilized to fabricate copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles. The CuO was combined with MgAl-layered double hydroxides (MgAl-LDHs) via a co-precipitation method with varying weight ratios of the CuO/LDHs. The composite catalysts were characterized and tested for the degradation of MB dye. The CuO/MgAl-LDH (1:2) showed the highest photocatalytic performance and achieved 99.20% MB degradation. However, only 90.03, 85.30, 71.87, and 35.53% MB dye was degraded with CuO/MgAl-LDHs (1:1), CuO/MgAl-LDHs (2:1), CuO, and MgAl-LDHs catalysts, respectively. Furthermore, a pseudo-first-order rate constant of the CuO/MgAl-LDHs (1:2) was 0.03141 min-1 while the rate constants for CuO and MgAl-LDHs were 0.0156 and 0.0052 min-1, respectively. The results demonstrated that the composite catalysts exhibited an improved catalytic performance than the pristine CuO and MgAl-LDHs. The higher photocatalytic performances of composite catalysts may be due to the uniform distribution of CuO nanoparticles into the LDH matrix, the higher surface area, and the lower electron and hole recombination rates. Therefore, the CuO/MgAl-LDHs composite catalyst can be one of the candidates used in environmental remediation.

Photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants and inactivation of pathogens under visible light via SnO2/rGO composites

The domains of environmental cleanup and pathogen inactivation are particularly interesting in nanocomposites (NCs) due to their exceptional physicochemical properties. Tin oxide/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites (SnO₂/rGO NCs) have potential uses in the biological and environmental fields, but little is known about them. This study aimed to investigate the photocatalytic activity and antibacterial efficiency of the nanocomposites. The co-precipitation technique was used to prepare all the samples. XRD, SEM, EDS, TEM, and XPS analyses were employed to characterize the physicochemical properties of SnO₂/rGO NCs for structural analysis. The rGO loading sample resulted in a decrease in the crystallite size of SnO₂ nanoparticles. TEM and SEM images demonstrate the firm adherence of SnO₂ nanoparticles to the rGO sheets. The chemical state and elemental composition of the nanocomposites were validated by the XPS and EDS data. Additionally, the visible-light active photocatalytic and antibacterial capabilities of the synthesized nanocomposites were assessed for the degradation of Orange II and methylene blue, as well as the suppression of the growth of S. aureus and E. coli. As a result, the synthesized SnO₂/rGO NCs are improved photocatalysts and antibacterial agents, expanding their potential in the fields of environmental remediation and water disinfection.

Indulgent of the physiochemical features of MgCr-LDH nanosheets towards photodegradation process of methylene blue

In the present work, we report the preparatory strategy of MgCr-layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanosheets with 90% degree of delamination by employing a formamide-assisted co-precipitation and mild hydrothermal route for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under solar light exposure. The as-synthesized MgCr-LDH nanosheets were characterized by assorted characterization techniques such as powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Raman, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), N₂ adsorption-desorption measurement, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-Visible diffused reflectance spectroscopy (UV-DRS). The XRD pattern of MgCr-LDH nanosheets quantified the strain (ε) and dislocation density (δ) of 1.371 lines^-2 m^-4 and 0.5723 lines m^-2 related to the (110) plane with d-spacing value of 1.6169 Ȧ. With a minimum band gap of ∼2.63 eV, the as-synthesized MgCr-LDH nanosheets displayed 90.6% MB photodegradation under the experimental protocols such as catalyst dosage of 30 mg/L, initial MB concentrations of 20 ppm, pH of 7 and time duration of 2 h under solar light exposure. Further, the recyclability test of the photocatalyst signifies material stability up to four successive cycles with 90% retention of MB degradation under sunlight exposure. The superior catalytic performances of the MgCr-LDH nanosheets could be ascertained to the suppression of excitonic recombination and effective light harvestation properties, synergistically contributed by the porous structural aspects via association of uni/multi-lamellar nanosheets, surface defect sites and photoactive Cr³⁺ cations. Additionally, the surface -OH groups of LDH contributed towards the generation of ^•OH radicals for triggering the catalytic performances. This type of work advances the novel ideas for establishing highly potent photocatalysts via synergizing structural and surface properties, paving towards effective wastewater treatment.

Regeneration study of MB in recycling runs over nickel vanadium oxide by solvent extraction for photocatalytic performance for wastewater treatments

Recently, researchers are concentrating on the synthesis of composite materials to enhance the efficiency of the materials in various applications. In this work, nickel vanadium oxide (NiV₂O₆) nanocomposite material is prepared via two methods and the prepared samples have been characterized with basic studies to analyse the effect of preparation method and the reaction time. The XRD studies reveal a polycrystalline growth in both the methods. The broad XRD peaks obtained for samples prepared via hydrothermal method suggests the size reduction and 1D nanostructure formation. The SEM analysis shows the formation of 1D structures in hydrothermal and 3D microsphere structures in solvothermal methods. The possible formation mechanism behind this formation has been discussed in this manuscript. The FTIR peaks in the fingerprint region confirm the formation and vibration of metal-oxygen bonds. The large optical bandgap values obtained from Tauc plot again confirms the formation of nanostructures of the synthesized samples. The photocatalytic activity of nickel vanadium oxide on methylene blue dye under halogen light were performed and, the recyclability of the sample is investigated. It was found from the photocatalytic spectrum that, the samples prepared from both the methods shows a degradation efficiency of more than 80% within 150 min. It was confirmed that the prepared NiV₂O₆ photocatalyst samples does not lose their degradation ability even after five cycles of repeated usage.

Improved visible light photocatalytic degradation of yttrium doped NiMgAl layered triple hydroxides for the effective removal of methylene blue dye

Fabrication of layered triple hydroxides (LTH) is a typical and remarkable approach to produce new functionalities passionately investigated for photocatalytic removal of organic pollutants from industrial wastewater. The hydrothermal method was used to prepare different weight percentages of yttrium (Y) doped NiMgAl LTH. The structural, functional, optical, and morphological properties of the prepared samples were investigated using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transformed-infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The photocatalytic degradation of the different percentages of Y-doped LTH samples were assessed through the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye under the visible light irradiation. When compared to other lower concentrations of Y doping, the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of 1 wt.% Y-doped LTH was higher. Thus, the optimized LTH's improved photocatalytic performance was attributed to increased visible light absorption with low transmission and improved electron-hole separation.

Zn Promoted Mg-Al Mixed Oxides-Supported Gold Nanoclusters for Direct Oxidative Esterification of Aldehyde to Ester

The synthesis of ester compounds is one of the most important chemical processes. In this work, Zn-Mg-Al mixed oxides with different Zn²⁺/Mg²⁺ molar ratios were prepared via co-precipitation method and supported gold nanoclusters to study the direct oxidative esterification of aldehyde and alcohol in the presence of molecular oxygen. Various characterization techniques such as N₂-physical adsorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and CO₂ temperature programmed desorption (TPD) were utilized to analyze the structural and electronic properties. Based on the results, the presence of small amounts of Zn²⁺ ions (~5 wt.%) provoked a remarkable modification of the binary Mg-Al system, which enhanced the interaction between gold with the support and reduced the particle size of gold. For oxidative esterification reaction, the Au₂₅/Zn_0.05MgAl-400 catalyst showed the best performance, with the highest turnover frequency (TOF) of 1933 h⁻¹. The active center was believed to be located at the interface between metallic gold with the support, where basic sites contribute a lot to transformation of the substrate.

Visible light driven reduced graphene oxide supported ZnMgAl LTH/ZnO/g-C3N4 nanohybrid photocatalyst with notable two-dimension formation for enhanced photocatalytic activity towards organic dye degradation

In this study, 2D/2D/2D heterostructured r-GO/LTH/ZnO/g-C₃N₄ nanohybrid were synthesized through hydrothermal method. The strong electrostatic interaction between the negatively charged g-C₃N₄ and r-GO nanosheets with positively charged layered triple hydroxide (LTH) nanosheets are effectively influences the successful formation of heterojunction. The LTH nanosheets are well spread on the g-C₃N₄ nanosheets combined with r-GO. In particular, the as prepared heterojunction shows a better photocatalytic degradation activity compared to pristine samples and the significant enhancement in the photocatalytic performance is mainly accredited to the large interfacial charge transition of photogenerated charge carriers under the visible light irradiation. Although the 2D/2D/2D heterojunction effectively hinders the charge carrier recombination resulting high photocatalytic activity with good stability. In addition, the r-GO supported LTH/ZnO/g-C₃N₄ heterojunction shows high photo-stability after sequential experimental runs with no obvious change in the dye degradation process. Consequently, the role of active species was investigated over the r-GO/LTH/ZnO/g-C₃N₄ heterojunction with the help of different scavengers.