Boosted Photocatalytic Activity of Zn/Al‐Based Layered Double Hydroxides Through Cobalt Incorporation for Phenol Degradation

Abstract

Two different hydrotalcites Zn/Al and Zn/Al−Co were prepared for the photodegradation of phenol under UV radiation. These materials were synthesized using the co‐precipitation method and characterized through powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD), UV‐vis spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and nitrogen physisorption. The physicochemical characterization results indicated that Zn/Al−Co, which incorporates cobalt atoms, did not affect the hydrotalcite structure (layered double hydroxide). However, the specific area was reduced, and the calcination process favoured the creation of surface defects, consequently increasing the adsorption of oxygen species. The calcined Zn/Al−Co(0.3) hydrotalcite exhibited the highest phenol photocatalytic degradation (68 %) and mineralization (52 %) achieved via a mechanism involving superoxide radicals.