Decolorization, degradation, and detoxification of textile dye and efficient hydrogen production by highly-stable MIL-177-LT@NiFe-LDH photoelectrocatalyst: Mechanism and economical studies

Abstract

Combining organic compounds with inorganic layers leads to the development of innovative organic-inorganic hybrid materials with specific functional properties, opening up possibilities for advanced applications that go beyond current technological limits. In the present study, Ti-MOF (MIL-177-LT) was decorated with NiFe layered double hydroxide (NiFe-LDH) to fabricate a heteroatom electrocatalyst (MIL-177-LT@NiFe-LDH). The synthesized electrode included capable electron transportation, long-term stability, and high specific surface area. Photoelectrocatalytic degradation of the Azo dye (Acid Red 18) from water was studied with respect to the influence of pH, bias potential, temperature, and dye concentration. It was found that hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has minimized overpotentials, i.e., 130 and 182 mV corresponding to the current densities of 400 and 1000 mA cm−2, respectively. High stability was also observed when a current density of 5000 mA cm−2 was applied to the modified electrode for 500 h. The layered architecture of the MIL-177-LT@NiFe-LDH composite provides high surface points for the degradation of dye molecules and water splitting for HER. The electrocatalyst showed great stability in the degradation process. The experiment was powered by solar cells, reducing the need for electricity and resulting in cost savings. Additionally, the treatment process was analyzed in terms of costs. Therefore, a promising approach is suggested in this study for developing high-performance organic-inorganic hybrid materials with exceptional electrochemical and photocatalytic properties.