Sol–Gel Assembled Ag3VO4/rGO Nanocomposite Photocatalyst for Improved Visible-Light-Photooxidative Desulfurization of Thiophene

Abstract

Being a crucial matter for preserving clean and safe environment, remediation of sulfur-accommodating compounds as hazardous compounds from the polluted systems is immensely investigated by many scientists. One of the successful routes that displayed distinctive features towards desulfurization of thiophene, as an example of sulfur-containing compounds, is photocatalysis. In this investigation, Ag3VO4/rGO nanocomposites of various percentages of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) have been synthesized via dispersing Ag3VO4 nanoparticles prepared by the aid of the sol–gel method over rGO support. Supporting Ag3VO4 by 15 wt% rGO was district by narrowing the bandgap energy of Ag3VO4 to be 1.68 instead of 2.2 eV that participates strongly to the advancement of visible light absorption. Furthermore, photoluminescence evaluation affirmed that Ag3VO4/rGO-15 wt% nanocomposite acquired hindered recombination rate amid the photogenerated charges. The hindered recombination amid the photogenerated charges as well as the advanced visible light absorption play essential roles to establish efficient photoctalytic reaction. In this context, the synthesized Ag3VO4/rGO with the optimum composition accomplished complete (100%) photocatalytic performance against TP photooxidation when exposed to visible light for 2 h. From the economic point of view, the regenerated nanocomposite fetured excellent stability even after recycling up to five runs. Consequently, this investigation advances stable and applicable photocatalyst made of supported-metal oxide nanocomposite as an efficient and eco-friendly material to remediate TPs from the polluted systems.