Enhanced photocatalytic reduction of Cr (VI) using Ag@AgCl/RGO/CuO nanocomposite under visible light

Abstract

This study investigated the photocatalytic activity of three nanocomposites, namely Ag@AgCl, Ag@AgCl/RGO, and Ag@AgCl/RGO/CuO, by examining their ability to reduce Cr (VI) using visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic samples were characterized using various methods, including X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission-scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectra, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Our findings showed that the incorporation of CuO and RGO co-catalysts significantly improved the photocatalytic reduction of Cr (VI) in the plasmonic Ag-AgCl sample. Among the three samples, the Ag@AgCl/RGO/CuO nanocomposite demonstrated the highest efficiency in reducing Cr (VI) to Cr (III) using visible light with a 98 % reduction of Cr(VI) within 45 min. The improved efficiency of the Ag@AgCl/RGO/CuO photocatalyst could be attributed to its superior ability to absorb visible light and reduce the rate of electron-hole recombination. The Ag@AgCl/RGO/CuO also showed a reaction rate constant of 0.086 min−1, which was approximately 17 times faster than that of Ag@AgCl.