FeYO₃@rGO nanocomposites: Synthesis, characterization and application in photooxidative degradation of atrazine under visible light

Abstract

Different organic pollutants have been remediated photo catalytically by applying perovskite photocatalysts. Atrazine (ATR) is a pesticide commonly detected as a pollutant in drinking, surface and ground water. Herein, FeYO3@rGO heterojunction was synthesized and applied for photooxidation decomposition of ATR. First, FeYO 3nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared via routine sol-gel. After that, FeYO3 NPs were successfully incorporated with different percentages (5, 10, 15 and 20 wt.%) of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) in the synthesis of novel FeYO3@rGO photocatalyst. Morphological, structural, surface, optoelectrical and optical characteristics of constructed materials were identified via X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), adsorption/desorption isotherms, diffusive reflectance (DR) spectra, and photoluminescence response (PL). Furthermore, photocatalytic achievement of the constructed materials was evaluated via photooxidative degradation of ATR. Various investigations affirmed the usefulness of rGO incorporation on the advancement of formed photocatalysts. Actually, novel nanocomposite containing rGO (15 wt.%) possessed diminished bandgap energy, as well as magnified visible light absorption. Furthermore, such nanocomposite presented exceptional photocatalytic achievement when exposed to visible light as ATR was perfectly photooxidized over finite amount (1.6 g · L-1) from the optimized photocatalyst when illuminated for 30 min. The advanced photocatalytic performance of constructed heterojunctions could be accredited mainly to depressed recombination amid induced charges. The constructed FeYO3@rGO nanocomposite is labelled as efficient photocatalyst for remediation of herbicides from aquatic environments.