Tunable sulphur doping on CuFe2O4 nanostructures for the selective elimination of organic dyes from water

Abstract

In this work, sulphur doped copper ferrites (S-CuFe2O4) photocatalysts were successfully synthesized for the first time using the facile hydrothermal method. The as-synthesized photocatalysts were characterized through XRD, Raman, TGA, FT-IR, UV–Vis-DRS, SEM, EDX and PL techniques. The results revealed that doping with sulphur has been found to be a suitable alternative that causes strain in the lattices as anions replace the oxygen from the CuFe2O4 nanostructures. Due to sulphur dopants, photocatalysts are able to efficiently trap and transfer the photoinduced charges, which readily suppress charge recombination. A UV–Vis spectrophotometer was used to monitor the degradation of selective toxic organic dyes (RhB, CR, MO, and CV) in aqueous media. The dye degradation results provide evidence for the surprisingly superior performance of S-CuFe2O4 over pristine CuFe2O4. On the basis of its efficiencies, this work can be assigned as an excellent candidate for photocatalysis science.

Surface sensitization of g-C3N4/TiO2via Pd/Rb2O co-catalysts: accelerating water splitting reaction for green fuel production in the absence of organic sacrificial agents

“…The higher recorded PL emission represents the maximum charge recombination rate and low photocatalytic efficiency of the material. 59 Meanwhile the low-intensity PL emission defines the high charge separation and maximum photocatalytic activity of the material. The PL emission of g-C 3 N 4 indicated a peak which was centred at 512 nm, while in the case of rutile TiO 2 a peak originated at 841 nm having less intensity as compared to g-C 3 N 4 .…”

Simultaneous elimination of toxic dyes, ciprofloxacin and Cr(vi) contents from polluted water: escalating surface plasmon electrons of Ag cocatalysts on BiVO4 microstructures

“…, MB, CV), which is due to stable xanthene ring structures in RhB. 25,64 By noticing the higher performances of Ag–BiVO 4 , a mixture of two dye solutions (RhB with MB, 5 ppm each) were used to degrade simultaneously. The activities obtained for the mixture of two dyes are presented in Fig.…”

“…During the photodegradation of RhB, a blue shift is observed that is due to the de-ethylation of RhB. 25,65,66 The comparison of the degradation of MB and RhB over Ag–BiVO 4 catalysts is illustrated in Fig. 7b.…”

“…For efficient removal of toxic contents, researchers are trying to synthesize catalysts that can work in sunlight. These catalysts include metal oxides, 15 metal sulphides, 16,17 vanadates and TiO 2 supported catalysts, 18–22 various metal ferrites, metal and non-metal doped composites, 23–25 g-C 3 N 4 , MOFs and graphene supported catalysts. 26 Noteworthily, noble metal-supported photocatalysts are also utilized for water purification but have major limitations such as their cost and inherent toxicity.…”

Insight into the development and proceedings of Au@Al–CeVO4 catalysts for water splitting: an advanced outlook for hydrogen generation with sunlight

“…Metal vanadates, including BiVO 4 , CrVO 4 , FeVO 4 and Zn 3 V 2 O 8 , have also been reported for photocatalytic water splitting reactions. 10–17 CeVO 4 is an efficient photocatalyst with a suitable bandgap of 2.8 eV, and it is a commercially available and cost-effective material. 18 Some drawbacks were found in these photocatalysts, including rapid recombination of charge carriers and insufficient charge transfer.…”