Effectual visible light photocatalytic reduction of para-nitro phenol using reduced graphene oxide and ZnO composite

Velusamy, Sasireka; Roy, Anurag; Mariam, Ezrah; Krishnamurthy, Satheesh; Sundaram, Senthilarasu and Mallick, Tapas K. (2023). Effectual visible light photocatalytic reduction of para-nitro phenol using reduced graphene oxide and ZnO composite. Scientific Reports, 13(1)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-36574-7

Abstract

Removing wastewater pollutants using semiconducting-based heterogeneous photocatalysis is an advantageous technique because it provides strong redox power charge carriers under sunlight irradiation. In this study, we synthesized a composite of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO) called rGO@ZnO. We established the formation of type II heterojunction composites by employing various physicochemical characterization techniques. To evaluate the photocatalytic performance of the synthesized rGO@ZnO composite, we tested it for reducing a common wastewater pollutant, para-nitro phenol (PNP), to para-amino phenol (PAP) under both ultraviolet (UV) and visible light irradiances. The rGO_x@ZnO (x = 0.5–7 wt%) samples, comprising various weights of rGO, were investigated as potential photocatalysts for the reduction of PNP to PAP under visible light irradiation. Among the samples, rGO₅@ZnO exhibited remarkable photocatalytic activity, achieving a PNP reduction efficiency of approximately 98% within a short duration of four minutes. These results demonstrate an effective strategy and provide fundamental insights into removing high-value-added organic water pollutants.

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