Harnessing advanced nanomaterials: Wastewater treatment with sustainable approach using 2D g-C3N4 based Ho-doped LaCoO3 nanocomposite

Abstract

This study presents novel materials for improving wastewater treatment by producing a holmium-doped lanthanum cobaltite (Ho-LaCoO3) nanomaterial, and its composites with graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4). Powder X-ray diffraction (P-XRD) analysis of the synthesized samples verified their high crystallinity. FTIR spectroscopy analyses the existence of significant functional groups like La–O and Co–O. These results show that incorporating Ho and two-dimensional materials into the LaCoO3 matrix successfully increased the surface area and catalytic activity. The morphological analysis indicates the Ho-doped LaCoO3 nanoparticles embedded on the surface of Ho-LaCoO3/g-C3N4. Mott-Schottky analysis was employed to investigate the electrochemical properties of LC and HLC. Optical analysis revealed that adding g-C3N4 sheets to Ho-Doped LaCoO3 significantly reduced the optical bandgap energy. The photocatalytic performance of these materials was assessed by studying the photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) dye, which serves as a model pollutant in wastewater treatment applications. Remarkably, the synergistic effects between Ho-doped LaCoO3 nanoparticles and g-C3N4 exhibited significantly improved photocatalytic performance compared to pure g-C3N4 and LaCoO3, achieving a notable 75 % degradation rate. The kinetic analysis of these degradation reactions revealed that all reactions followed pseudo-first-order rate kinetics. Among all the tested catalysts, the highest rate was observed for g–C3N4–based Ho-Doped LaCoO3 nanocomposite, with a rate constant of 0.009 min−1. These findings highlight the significance of Ho-Doped LaCoO3 and its nanocomposite with g-C3N4 as promising candidates for sustainable and effective wastewater treatment processes.