A Novel N-Doped Nanoporous Bio-Graphene Synthesized from Pistacia lentiscus Gum and Its Nanocomposite with WO3 Nanoparticles: Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Activity

Abstract

This paper reports the synthesis of a new nitrogen-doped porous bio-graphene (NPBG) with a specific biomorphic structure, using Pistacia lentiscus as a natural carbon source containing nitrogen that also acts as a bio-template. The obtained NPBG demonstrated the unique feature of doped nitrogen with a 3D nanoporous structure. Next, a WO3/N-doped porous bio-graphene nanocomposite (WO3/NPBG-NC) was synthesized, and the products were characterized using XPS, SEM, TEM, FT-IR, EDX, XRD, and Raman analyses. The presence of nitrogen doped in the structure of the bio-graphene (BG) was confirmed to be pyridinic-N and pyrrolic-N with N1 peaks at 398.3 eV and 400.5 eV, respectively. The photocatalytic degradation of the anionic azo dyes and drugs was investigated, and the results indicated that the obtained NPBG with a high surface area (151.98 m2/g), unique electronic properties, and modified surface improved the adsorption and photocatalytic properties in combination with WO3 nanoparticles (WO3-NPs) as an effective visible-light-driven photocatalyst. The synthesized WO3/NPBG-NC with a surface area of 226.92 m2/g displayed lower bandgap and higher electron transfer compared with blank WO3-NPs, leading to an increase in the photocatalytic performance through the enhancement of the separation of charge and a reduction in the recombination rate. At the optimum conditions of 0.015 g of the nanocomposite, a contact time of 15 min, and 100 mg/L of dyes, the removal percentages were 100%, 99.8%, and 98% for methyl red (MR), Congo red (CR), and methyl orange (MO), respectively. In the case of the drugs, 99% and 87% of tetracycline and acetaminophen, respectively, at a concentration of 10 mg/L, were removed after 20 min.

In-Situ Synthesis of Doped Bio-Graphenes as Effective Metal-Free Catalysts in Removal of Antibiotics: Effect of Natural Precursor on Doping, Morphology, and Catalytic Activity

“…The O-O bond is dissociated and different oxygenated radicals are produced in the presence of water. These radicals can proceed the degradation of TCL via oxidation reaction [16,17,40]. P and S dopants also have the same function as nitrogen.…”

“…Catalytic, photocatalytic, and electrocatalytic processes, ion exchange, and oxidation are the chemical processes used for wastewater treatment [10][11][12][13]. Among these methods, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are the well-known and effective methods for removal of various organic pollutants such as dyes, antibiotics, pesticides, and, etc [14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Metal oxide semiconductors are the largest group of these catalysts that can fully destroy organic pollutants based on catalytic, photocatalytic, or electrophotocatalytic processes according to the different oxidation mechanism [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26].…”

In Situ Synthesis of Mixed-Phase WO3 on Nitrogen-Doped Graphene with Enhanced Photoelectric Properties

“…24 Afsharpour et al prepared WO 3 /N-doped porous bio-graphene nanocomposites possessing enhanced photocatalytic properties. 25 Jiang et al combined WO 3 and N-GQDs for the detection of E. coli with high sensitivity. 26 The excellent electrical conductivity of nitrogen-doped graphene facilitates the transfer of semiconductor photogenerated carriers and enhances the photoelectric properties.…”

“…Yousaf et al synthesized nitrogen-doped graphene-modified WO 3 nanocomposites to achieve better degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol and methyl orange . Afsharpour et al prepared WO 3 /N-doped porous bio-graphene nanocomposites possessing enhanced photocatalytic properties . Jiang et al combined WO 3 and N-GQDs for the detection of E. coli with high sensitivity .…”

Boosted Tetracycline and Cr(VI) Simultaneous Cleanup over Z-Scheme WO3/CoO p-n Heterojunction with 0D/3D Structure under Visible Light

“…Wang et al [ 39 ] designed a novel one-dimensional/two-dimensional (1D/2D) core-shell cobalt monoxide/nickel-cobalt layered double hydroxide (CoO/Nico-LDH) heterojunction, which can avoid agglomeration, promote the transfer of photogenerated carriers, and expand the light absorption range, effectively enhancing the photocatalytic performance. As a conventional photocatalytic material, WO 3 has a band gap of about 2.5–2.8 eV [ 40 ], can absorb visible light at nearly 500 nm, and has good photocatalytic performance in visible light [ 41 , 42 , 43 ]. Cao et al [ 44 ] reported the electron transfer mechanism of noble-metal-free WO 3 @ZnIn 2 S 4 S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts.…”