Visible light photodegradation of 4‐nitrophenol by new high‐performance and easy recoverable Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>/Ag<sub>2</sub>O‐LDH hybrid photocatalysts
Mohammad Dinari, Firooze Dadkhah
Abstract
Abstract Till now, water contaminant photodegradation has been the most influential method to remove low but dangerous concentrations of pollutants. Herein, a green method was employed to enhance the photocatalytic activity of ZnAl‐LDH through depositing Ag and magnetite nanoparticles on the surface of layered double hydroxide (LDH) sheets. The structural and electrochemical characterization of as‐prepared Zn 3 Al‐CO 3 (ZA‐LDH) and Fe 3 O 4 /Ag 2 O‐LDH (M 10 A 5 ‐LDH) composite was determined by X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) theory, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) along with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX) mapping, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra, photoluminescence spectra, and transient photocurrent response. All of the analyses confirmed the photo‐response enhancement of the M 10 A 5 ‐LDH compared with virgin LDH. The mineralization of p ‐nitrophenol (PNP) under visible light revealed that the photodegradation rate of composite (0.02 min −1 ) is fourfold more significant than that of the bare ZA‐LDH (0.005 min −1 ). The active radical capturing tests exhibited that h + , •OH, and •O 2 − play substantial roles in PNP degradation, respectively. The potential photodegradation mechanism involves the charge transfer from Fe 3 O 4 and Ag 2 O to LDH, producing active radicals for the degradation process.