Synthesis of LaFeO₃/Ag₂CO₃ Nanocomposites for Photocatalytic Degradation of Rhodamine B and p-Chlorophenol under Natural Sunlight

Abstract

Novel LaFeO 3 /Ag 2 CO 3 nanocomposites are synthesized by co-precipitation method for photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) and p -chlorophenol under visible light irradiation. Heterostructures between LaFeO 3 and Ag 2 CO 3 semiconductors are formed during the synthesis of these nanocomposites. Among the nanocomposites prepared with different ratios of LaFeO 3 and Ag 2 CO 3 , 1% LaFeO 3 /Ag 2 CO 3 shows the highest photocatalytic activity for the degradation of RhB. Maximum electron–hole pair decoupling efficiency is observed in 1% LaFeO 3 /Ag 2 CO 3 , which causes the greater activity of the heterostructure. Degradation efficiency of 99.5% for RhB and 59% for p -chlorophenol has been obtained under natural sunlight within 45 min. Interestingly, the stability of Ag 2 CO 3 is improved dramatically after making nanocomposite, and no decomposition of the catalyst was observed even after several photocatalytic cycles. Reactive oxygen species scavenging experiments with p -benzoquinone, isopropyl alcohol, and ammonium oxalate suggest that a major degradation process is caused by holes. Degradation of RhB into small organic moieties is detected using LC–MS technique. Further, the efficient mineralization of the degradation products occurs during the catalytic process.

Perovskite-type LaFeO3: Photoelectrochemical Properties and Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants Under Visible Light Irradiation

“…Total organic content (TOC) analysis after five hours illumination time confirmed the 4-CP degradation; a reduction of the TOC by 55% was found. Our LaFeO3 photocatalyst showed higher activity for 4-CP degradation compared to that reported by Pirzada et al [59] and Hu et al [60].…”

Zinc oxide-decorated polypyrrole/chitosan bionanocomposites with enhanced photocatalytic, antibacterial and anticancer performance

“…Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy has been performed to study the EIS Nyquist plots. 58,59 It is clear for the Fig. 12 that the arc radius of the Nyquist plot of Ppy/C/Z is smaller than that of Ppy/C and pure Ppy, which suggests that in the Ppy/C/Z composites, the charge separation of the photogenerated electrons and holes is higher as compared to that in Ppy/C and Ppy.…”

Symbiotic, low-temperature, and scalable synthesis of bi-magnetic complex oxide nanocomposites

“…23 The synthesis of LFO, like that of many other complex oxides, requires high-temperature annealing (>500 C) for phase formation, [24][25][26][27][28][29] including the synthesis of nanocomposites where LFO is one of the components. 30,31 The synthesis technique that we report here is based on the glycine-nitrate combustion synthesis method. 32,33 For the rst time, we use this method that has largely been used to prepare single-phase materials before, to synthesize bi-phasic nanocomposites at a signicantly reduced temperature.…”