Design of a novel Ag-BaTiO3/GO ternary nanocomposite with enhanced visible-light driven photocatalytic performance towards mitigation of carcinogenic organic pollutants

Abstract

Herein, a novel visible-light responsive, photocatalyst (Ag-BaTiO3/GO) was fabricated by depositing Ag nanoparticles and GO sheets onto the surface of BaTiO3 nanorods via a combination of photodeposition and hydrothermal methods.The as-prepared ternary photocatalyst was comprehensively characterized for its structural, morphological, and optical properties using XRD, XPS, Raman, HR-TEM, FE-SEM, EDS-mapping, BET, EIS,UV–vis DRS, and PL analysis. The photoactivity was assessed by degrading crystal violet dye (CV) and antibiotic ofloxacin (OFL) under visible light illumination. In comparison with pristine BaTiO3, and binary composites Ag-BaTiO3, BaTiO3-GO, the newly designed ternary hybrid exhibited superior activity with ∼ 98.5% and 96.1% degradation efficiency for CV and OFL at high rate constants (0.053 and 0.033 min−1, respectively). The heightened photocatalytic performance is attributed to the SPR effect of Ag, which broadens the visible light range, as well as strong adsorption capacity, excellent electron mobility, and greater surface area of GO that facilitates the charge transfer process. Moreover, the catalyst could be easily reused for four sequential cycles, maintaining up to 78.83% efficiency for CV removal. Trapping experiments disclosed the eloquent role played by the (hydroxyl) OH and O2•- (superoxide) radicals in pollutant degradation. Also, the degradation pathways of CV and OFL were determined based on the LC–MS analysis. TOC test was conducted. Eventually, on account of the results, a photocatalytic reaction mechanism was presumed. This work offers a propitious strategy, for successful eradication of multiple perilous pollutants from wastewater using a combination of metal titanates, plasmonic Ag nanoparticles, and GO based highly efficient ternary photocatalyst.