Insights into the expeditious photocatalytic performance of greenly fabricated CeVO4 nanoparticles using Polyalthia longifolia leaf extract

Abstract

The application of nanomaterials to address environmental challenges has evolved substantially to eliminate pollutants from wastewater as part of environmental cleanup, a growing important research arena. Using green photocatalysts is a noteworthy and economical method that significantly advances environmentally sustainable remediation. This work disclosed the bio-inspired production of cerium vanadate nanoparticles (CeVO4 NPs) were prepared through a green chemistry protocol employing Polyalthia longifolia leaf extract. Key traits of CeVO4 nanoparticles were determined by applying a variety of characterization tools, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UVDRS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). CeVO4 nanoparticles displayed a pseudo-spherical topology with a particle size of 17.77 nm, and the band gap was determined as 2.76 eV. The photocatalytic ability of the as-produced CeVO4 NPs was scrutinized for the decomposition of Congo red (CR) dye. Under optimal conditions, the fabricated CeVO4 nanoparticles demonstrated excellent Congo red dye degradation performance. The effect of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) dosage, nanoparticle dosage, dye concentration, contact time, scavenging test, and reusability of prepared photocatalyst had an excellent impact on dye decomposition ability. The findings revealed that in just 8 min, 97.79 % of the CR dye had been degraded completely. The pseudo-first-order (PFO) kinetics model aligns with the CR dye decomposition kinetics. In conclusion, this study describes the fabrication of a CeVO4 photocatalyst that exhibits impressive performance, particularly in natural sunlight, suggesting that it could be used in wastewater treatment.