Reduced graphene oxide-mediated Z-scheme BiVO4/CdS nanocomposites for boosted photocatalytic decomposition of harmful organic pollutants

N. Clament Sagaya Selvam, Yeong Gyeong Kim, Dong Jin Kim, Won Hwa Hong, Woong Kim, Sung Hyuk Park, Wan Kuen Jo

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

43 Scopus citations

Abstract

The efficient photocatalytic degradation of harmful organic pollutants (isoniazid (ISN) and 1,4-dioxane (DX)) via the Z-scheme electron transfer mechanism was accomplished using a photostable composite photocatalyst consisting of BiVO4, CdS, and reduced graphene oxide (RGO). Compared to their pristine counterparts, the RGO-mediated Z-scheme CdS/BiVO4 (CdS/RGO-BiVO4) nanocomposites exhibited superior degradation activities, mainly attributed to the prolonged charge separation. RGO was found to be involved in visible-light harvesting and acted as a solid-state electron mediator at the CdS/BiVO4 interface to realize an effective Z-scheme electron transfer pathway, avoid photocatalyst self-oxidation, and lengthen the life span of charge carriers. The results of reactive species scavenging experiments, photoluminescence measurements, and transient photocurrent measurements, as well as the calculated band potentials of the synthesized photocatalysts, supported the Z-scheme electron/hole pair separation mechanism. Additionally, the intermediates formed during the degradation of ISN and DX were identified, and a possible fragmentation pattern was proposed. This systematic work aims to develop photostable Z-scheme composites as unique photocatalytic systems for the efficient removal of harmful organic pollutants.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)741-749
Number of pages9
JournalScience of the Total Environment
Volume635
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Sep 2018

Keywords

  • Electron mediator
  • Intermediate
  • Photocatalytic degradation
  • Photostablity
  • Z-scheme electron transfer

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