Synergistic role of alginate hydrogel in the photocatalytic activity of ZnO-gC3N4

IF 2.3 4区材料科学 Q2 MATERIALS SCIENCE, CERAMICS

Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology Pub Date : 2025-03-03 DOI:10.1007/s10971-025-06706-8

MD Furqaan Valiyathur, A. Ahmed Raza, Anver Basha Kottur, Mohammed Safiullah Sakvai

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Abstract

Developing efficient and environmentally friendly photocatalysts for dye degradation remains a significant challenge. In this study, we strengthened the ZnO-gC₃N₄ (ZG) heterojunction photocatalyst by incorporating it into a crosslinked alginate hydrogel (CA), forming a novel Alg-based photocatalyst (CAZG). The CAZG demonstrated enhanced optical properties and improved photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) under UV-vis irradiation. The resulting materials (CA, ZG, and CAZG) were meticulously characterized via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and UV-vis Diffuse Reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS) techniques to determine their structural, thermal and optical properties. The photocatalytic performance of ZG and CAZG showed maximum MB degradation efficiencies of 65.34% and 73.46% respectively, at a concentration of 1 × 10⁻⁵M after 60 min of UV-vis exposure. The integration of ZG (3.1 eV) into the alginate matrix resulted in a diminished bandgap structure for the CAZG (2.47 eV), enhancing optical properties and promoting photocatalytic activity. This study presents a sustainable approach to develop biocompatible and economically feasible photocatalysts for environmental applications.

Graphical Abstract

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海藻酸盐水凝胶对ZnO-gC3N4光催化活性的协同作用

开发高效、环保的染料降解光催化剂仍然是一个重大挑战。在本研究中，我们通过将ZnO-gC3N4 （ZG）异质结光催化剂掺入交联海藻酸盐水凝胶（CA）中，形成了一种新型的海藻基光催化剂（CAZG）。在紫外-可见照射下，CAZG表现出增强的光学性能和改善的亚甲基蓝（MB）光催化降解。通过傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）、x射线衍射（XRD）、热重分析（TGA）和紫外-可见漫反射光谱（UV-vis DRS）技术对所得材料（CA、ZG和CAZG）进行了细致的表征，以确定其结构、热学和光学性质。ZG和CAZG的光催化性能表明，在1 × 10−5 M的浓度下，紫外-可见照射60 min，降解MB的效率最高，分别为65.34%和73.46%。将ZG （3.1 eV）整合到海藻酸盐基体中，使CAZG （2.47 eV）的带隙结构减小，光学性能增强，光催化活性增强。本研究提出了一种可持续发展的方法来开发具有生物相容性和经济可行性的环境光催化剂。图形抽象

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来源期刊

Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology 工程技术-材料科学：硅酸盐

CiteScore

4.70

自引率

4.00%

发文量

280

审稿时长

2.1 months

期刊介绍： The primary objective of the Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology (JSST), the official journal of the International Sol-Gel Society, is to provide an international forum for the dissemination of scientific, technological, and general knowledge about materials processed by chemical nanotechnologies known as the "sol-gel" process. The materials of interest include gels, gel-derived glasses, ceramics in form of nano- and micro-powders, bulk, fibres, thin films and coatings as well as more recent materials such as hybrid organic-inorganic materials and composites. Such materials exhibit a wide range of optical, electronic, magnetic, chemical, environmental, and biomedical properties and functionalities. Methods for producing sol-gel-derived materials and the industrial uses of these materials are also of great interest.