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Design of BiOCl/WO<sub>3</sub>@Polyaniline Organic–Inorganic Nanocomposite Photocatalyst for the Efficient Decontamination of 2-Chlorophenol from Wastewater
oleh: Rajeev Kumar, Md. Abu Taleb, Mohamed A. Barakat, Bandar Al-Mur
| Format: | Article |
|---|---|
| Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2023-01-01 |
Deskripsi
Advanced photocatalysts that can utilize solar energy for water purification applications are always needed. The present article reports a facile fabrication of tungsten oxide (WO<sub>3</sub>)/bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl) immobilized on polyaniline (PAn) (BiOCl/WO<sub>3</sub>@PAn) heterojunction nanocomposite photocatalyst. The designed nanocatalyst was tested for 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) decontamination from the aquatic system. Synthesized WO<sub>3</sub>, BiOCl, and BiOCl/WO<sub>3</sub>@PAn nanocomposites were distinguished via UV-DSR, photoluminescence, SEM, TEM, XRD, and XPS analysis. The combination of PAn with WO<sub>3</sub> and BiOCl showed a synergistic impact on the photocatalytic efficiency of the BiOCl/WO<sub>3</sub>@PAn nanocomposite. The synthesized BiOCl/WO<sub>3</sub>@PAn nanocomposite showed higher visible light absorption behavior and bandgap energy reduction than the WO<sub>3</sub> and BiOCl. The obtained data shows that 2-CP photocatalysis by the BiOCl/WO<sub>3</sub>@PAn is controlled by degradation time, pH, and pollutant amount in the solution. The highest photocatalytic degradation of 2-CP (99.7%) was recorded at pH 5 and 25 mg/L concentration within 240 min. The photocatalysis mechanism and active radical scavenging study discovered that <sup>•</sup>O<sub>2</sub><sup>−</sup> and <sup>•</sup>OH, were responsible for the 2-CP mineralization onto the BiOCl/WO<sub>3</sub>@PAn nanocomposite. The BiOCl/WO<sub>3</sub>@PAn nanocomposite showed enhanced decontamination properties over pristine catalysts. The reusability of the synthesized BiOCl/WO<sub>3</sub>@PAn nanocomposite was evaluated. It found that the photocatalyst could be recycled for up to four cycles for 2-CP degradation without significantly losing the photocatalytic properties. The fabricated BiOCl/WO<sub>3</sub>@PAn nanocomposite catalyst presented exceptional catalytic and recycling properties, indicating an effective method for scavenging hazardous organic contaminants under solar irradiation and green technology for wastewater purification.