Effectual visible light photocatalytic reduction of para-nitro phenol using reduced graphene oxide and ZnO composite

Velusamy, Sasireka; Roy, Anurag; Mariam, Ezrah; Krishnamurthy, Satheesh; Sundaram, Senthilarasu; Mallick, Tapas K.

Abstract

Removing wastewater pollutants using semiconducting-based heterogeneous photocatalysis is an advantageous technique because it provides strong redox power charge carriers under sunlight irradiation. In this study, we synthesized a composite of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO) called rGO@ZnO. We established the formation of type II heterojunction composites by employing various physicochemical characterization techniques. To evaluate the photocatalytic performance of the synthesized rGO@ZnO composite, we tested it for reducing a common wastewater pollutant, para-nitro phenol (PNP), to para-amino phenol (PAP) under both ultraviolet (UV) and visible light irradiances. The rGOx@ZnO (x = 0.5–7 wt%) samples, comprising various weights of rGO, were investigated as potential photocatalysts for the reduction of PNP to PAP under visible light irradiation. Among the samples, rGO5@ZnO exhibited remarkable photocatalytic activity, achieving a PNP reduction efficiency of approximately 98% within a short duration of four minutes. These results demonstrate an effective strategy and provide fundamental insights into removing high-value-added organic water pollutants.

Citation

Velusamy, S., Roy, A., Mariam, E., Krishnamurthy, S., Sundaram, S., & Mallick, T. K. (2023). Effectual visible light photocatalytic reduction of para-nitro phenol using reduced graphene oxide and ZnO composite. Scientific Reports, 13(1), Article 9521. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-36574-7

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 6, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Jun 12, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023
• Deposit Date: Jun 19, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 19, 2023
• Journal: Scientific Reports
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 9521
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-36574-7