Visible light assisted photocatalytic degradation of crystal violet dye and electrochemical detection of ascorbic acid using a BiVO4/FeVO4 heterojunction composite.

Nasir Amin,Naveed Akthar Shad,Zhengjun Zhang,Sadaf Bashir Khan,Muhammad Munir Sajid

doi:10.1039/c8ra03890b

Abstract

A BiVO4/FeVO4 nanocomposite photocatalyst was successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal method. The prepared heterojunction photocatalyst was characterized physically and chemically using XRD, SEM, EDX, XPS, BET, FT-IR, Raman, UV-vis DRS, EPR and photoluminescence techniques. BiVO4/FeVO4 was explored for its photocatalytic activity by the decomposition of crystal violet (CV) organic dye under visible radiation. This experiment showed that BiVO4/FeVO4 at a ratio of 2 : 1 completely degrades CV within 60 min. In addition, BiVO4/FeVO4 was investigated for the electrochemical detection of the useful analyte ascorbic acid using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry techniques. This work reveals the potential of the BiVO4/FeVO4 nanocomposite for applications in environmental disciplines as well as in biosensing.

Highlights

The large-scale disposal of dyes from fabrics, plastics, cosmetics, paper, leather, food, municipal waste and other industries into the water poses a signi cant threat to the environment
BiVO4/FeVO4 was investigated for the electrochemical detection of the useful analyte ascorbic acid using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry techniques
1 mmol Bi(NO3)3$5H2O and 1 mmol Fe(NO3)3$9H2O were dissolved in 60 mL distilled water, 2 mmol of NH4VO3 was poured into the solution and vigorous stirring was carried out for 1 h at ambient temperature

Summary

Introduction

The large-scale disposal of dyes from fabrics, plastics, cosmetics, paper, leather, food, municipal waste and other industries into the water poses a signi cant threat to the environment. 1–20% of the dye produced globally is lost during the dyeing process and is expelled in waste water.[1,2,3,4,5] These dyes are major causes of water pollution, so it is urgent that we develop either facile methods or eco-friendly techniques to treat polluted water and make it usable for human beings and other living organisms. A lot of work has been conducted in this area, involving approaches including ltration, electrochemical methods, precipitation, coagulation and adsorption, which are all common techniques for water remediation.[6] Among these processes, heterogeneous photocatalysis is an advanced oxidant process (AOP) that has emerged in recent years. AOPs are used extensively as a facile and cost-effective way to mineralize pollutant water without generating secondary harmful aDepartment of Physics, Government College University, Allama Iqbal Road, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan bNational Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), P. Photocatalysis is based on the principle in which the absorption of sunlight energy produces electrons and holes to activate oxidation–reduction responses on the surface of a semiconductor to degrade particular compounds

Methods

Results

Conclusion