An efficiently heterogeneous photocatalyst for degradation of cation and neutral dyes under UV light based on size-dependent effects of tetracarboxyate complex

Abstract

Heterogeneous photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes has attracted tremendous attention due to be economical and environmentally friendly. We present herein a tetracarboxyate photocatalyst (Mgtptc) based on MgO6 octahedral. With increased particle size of Mgtptc, the PL intensity displayed a quenching effect as well as a lengthened emission lifetime, which might contribute to photoinduced electron−hole pairs separation. Mgtptc at the particle size of 0.45–0.30 ​μm showed highly photocatalytic activity in degradation of cation and neutral dyes upon UV light exposure. Based on the reactive species capturing, the responsible photocatalytic mechanism was discussed in detail. Furthermore, degradation efficiency of MB was not of significant loss after five consecutive cycles, suggesting its excellent photostability.