Engineering of a Hybrid g-C3N4/ZnO-W/Cox Heterojunction Photocatalyst for the Removal of Methylene Blue Dye

Abstract

Robust hybrid g-C3N4/ZnO-W/Cox heterojunction composites were synthesized using graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and ZnO-W nanoparticles (NPs) and different concentrations of Co dopant. The hybrid heterojunction composites were prepared by simple and low-cost coprecipitation methods. The fabricated catalyst was explored and investigated using various characterization techniques such as FTIR, XRD, FESEM and EDX. The surface morphology of the as-prepared hybrid nanocomposites with particle sizes in the range of 15–16 nm was validated by SEM analysis. The elemental composition of the synthesized composites was confirmed by EDS analysis. Photocatalysis using a photon as the sole energy source is considered a challenging approach for organic transformations under ambient conditions. The photocatalytic activity of the heterojunctions was tested by photodegrading methylene blue (MB) dye in the presence of sunlight. The reduced band gap of the heterojunction composite of 3.22–2.28 eV revealed that the incorporation of metal ions played an imperative role in modulating the light absorption range for photocatalytic applications. The as-synthesized g-C3N4/ZnO-W/Co0.010 composite suppressed the charge recombination ability during the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye. The ternary heterojunction C3N4/ZnO-W/Co0.010 composite showed an impressive photocatalytic performance with 90% degradation of MB under visible light within 90 min of irradiation, compared to the outcomes achieved with the other compositions. Lastly, the synthesized composites showed good recyclability and mechanical stability over five cycles, confirming them as promising photocatalyst options in the future.

Nanomaterials for Removal of Phenolic Derivatives from Water Systems: Progress and Future Outlooks

“…Hybrid nanomaterials, which are comprised of two or more components, have been reported to have numerous applications, including in photocatalysis and environmental remediation/protection [ 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 ]. Since such materials can be designed to possess the best properties of two or more materials, or because their combination can create synergistic effects, their overall properties could be better than those of the constituents.…”

“…Hybrid nanomaterials, which are comprised of two or more components, have been reported to have numerous applications, including in photocatalysis and environmental remediation/protection [71][72][73][74][75]. Since such materials can be designed to possess the best…”

Synthesis of Polyaluminum Chloride Coagulant from Waste Aluminum Foil and Utilization in Petroleum Wastewater Treatment

“…To optimize the PACl coagulation efficiency, the effect of the operational parameters on the removal efficiency of NSS (initial turbidity = 270 NTU) and dissolved octanol oil fraction (initial concentration = 100 mg/L) from synthetic wastewater was investigated. The operational parameters include the solution's pH (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9), PACl coagulant dose (5-100 mg/L), the solution's temperature (10-55 • C), rapid mixing speed (120-360 rpm), rapid mixing time (1-5 min), slow mixing time (15 and 30 min), and settling time (5-30 min).…”

“…Note that the advanced/tertiary treatment methods (e.g., adsorption, photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, membrane separation, and biological techniques) are commonly utilized for enhanced purification of industrial effluents from dissolved chemical (organic and inorganic) pollutants based on the targeted purposes (e.g., enhanced oil recovery, irrigation, or industrial reuse). For instance, considering advanced oxidation technologies, many efforts have been made to explore innovative photocatalytic materials to accelerate the solar-driven photodegradation of varying organic pollutants in industrial effluent and partially solve water pollution problems [7]. However, the traditional methods are often used as a pretreatment step to prepare oily wastewater for secondary and advanced treatment processes.…”

Recent Developments in Direct C–H Functionalization of Quinoxalin-2(1H)-Ones via Heterogeneous Catalysis Reactions

“…Bao and his colleagues summarised the metal oxides used for the electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide [10]. Rehman and his colleagues reported the design of a hybrid g-C 3 N 4 /ZnO-W/Co x heterojunction photocatalyst for the removal of methylene blue Molecules 2023, 28, 5030 2 of 25 dye [11]. Mono-and multi-nuclear pincer-type Ru(II) complex catalysts and their catalytic applications have been summarised by Yu's group [12].…”