Novel-structured mesoporous SiO2 and ZrO2–GO nanocomposite for photocatalytic degradation of toxic phenolic derivatives under the visible light irradiation

• Main Authors: Zhao, Jingjing, Otgonbayar, Zambaga, Fatema, Kamrun Nahar, Sagadevan, Suresh, Oh, Won-Chun
• Format: Article
• Published: Elsevier 2020
• Subjects: TP Chemical technology
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/25699/; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfin.2020.100613

In this study, the new mesoporous ternary ZrO2–GO–SiO2 composite was synthesized by self-assembly technique, and progressively analyzed through physical characteristic equipment, by use of XRD, SEM, TEM, Raman, XPS, DRS, BET, and PL techniques. The TEM images showed the mesoporous structured semiconductor and transition metal oxide uniformly spread on the exterior of graphene oxide. The average particle size of ZrO2 and the diameter of the spherical SiO2 was (55.04 and 280.21) nm, respectively. The bandgap of ZrO2–GO, GO–SiO2, and the ternary ZrO2–GO–SiO2 nanocomposites were (4.13, 4.17, and 4.21)eV, respectively, which was analyzed through the UV–vis DRS method. The photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared binary and ternary composites were determined under the vis-light irradiation. The spherical mesoporous structure of SiO2 can boost the adsorption property of catalyst. In addition, the graphene increases the volume of active sites of catalyst material which enhanced the interaction between dye-material and photocatalyst. This work unearths into the relation between Dye adsorption/reduction and catalyst, providing fundamental guidance to improve photocatalytic performance. © 2020