Parametric study of visible light active Bi2ZnB2O7 photocatalyst for dye degradation

Abstract

Bi2ZnB2O7 (BBZO) was synthesized by solid-state reaction route. The indirect band gap of the BBZO was found to be 2.88 eV by diffuse reflectance spectrophotometer (DRS). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy were used to examine the structure, phase, and microstructure of synthesized material. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was carried out to determine elemental composition and surface morphology. BBZO was examined for catalytic activity using methylene blue (MB) dye solution via photocatalysis. The kinetic study has been carried out with several parameters including catalytic dose, the concentration of the dye, the volume of the dye, and the intensity of the light source. The degradation intermediates were also explored using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), benzoquinone (BQ), and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) scavengers. The photocatalytic performance of BBZO was explored in visible light and solar light. The obtained kinetic rate constants are 0.007 min−1 and 0.006 min−1 in visible and solar light, respectively. Furthermore, the post-analysis of the catalyst is also done using XPS, SEM, and Raman spectroscopy to confirm the stability of the BBZO.