Microwave‐mediated One‐step Synthesis of CeVO4‐rGO Composites with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity under Visible Light

Abstract

AbstractCeVO4‐rGO nanocomposites with varying proportions of CeVO4: rGO (10, 20 and 30 wt% CeVO4) were synthesized by a rapid microwave hydrothermal method. The prepared samples were characterized by X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning/transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV‐visible spectroscopy to evaluate their structural, morphological and optical properties respectively. Lowering band gaps of CeVO4‐rGO composites (∼2.15 eV) made the sample active for photodegradation of Bromophenol blue (BRB) and Eosin Yellow (EY) dyes under visible light. Among all, the sample with 20 wt% CeVO4 was the most efficient and almost complete degradation of EY (60 mg/L) was achieved within 60 min with a catalyst dose of 0.4 g/L. In comparison, 91.6 % of BRB dye (20 mg/L) was degraded in 105 min. Recyclability study up to the fourth cycle showed that the composites are fairly stable for reuse.