Unveiling the photocatalytic property of La2O3–CuO nanocomposites for organic pollutants in wastewater treatment

Abstract

Photocatalytic degradation was considered the best strategy for removing hazardous dye contaminants in water bodies from wastewater. The photocatalyst of pure La2O3 nanoparticles and La2O3–CuO nanocomposites synthesized by sonochemical method. The nanocomposites were used to investigate the degradation activity of Safranin (SR) and crystal violet (CV) under sunlight irradiation. The physicochemical characterization methods (e.g., Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high resolution-transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), ultraviolet, visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), and BET analysis indicate that the composite has been constructed successfully that enhances the widened visible light absorption, induces charge transfer and separation efficiency of electron–hole pairs. X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiment demonstrated that introducing copper into lanthanum resulted in alterations in the size of the crystallites and the average size of the nanoparticles, shifting from 21.93 to 43.19 nm. The photocatalytic activity of all samples was examined through the photodegradation of Safranin and crystal violet in an aqueous medium. The photocatalytic degradation rate of nanocomposite catalysts could eliminate 95.80 % and 97.05 % of Safranin and crystal violet dyes in 135 min, about 1.4 times that of pure La2O3 nanoparticles. The current study will give an efficient nanocomposite photocatalyst for removing biological and textile dye aqueous pollutants.