Exceptional Visible-Light-Driven Photodegradation Performance Over N-Rich g-C3N5 Decorated Flower-like SrMoO4 Nanohybrids: Analysis of Mechanism, Efficacy and Degradation Pathway

Abstract

This study successfully synthesized heterogeneous SrMoO₄/g-C₃N₅ nanocomposites photocatalyst using a simple hydrothermal method. The optical, structural, and catalytic properties of the proposed catalyst were studied. The photocatalytic activity of the heterogeneous SrMoO₄/g-C₃N₅ nanocomposite catalyst was assessed for the degradation of CR dye under irradiation with visible light (λ < 400 nm). The SrMoO₄/g-C₃N₅ photocatalyst has proven to be an excellent catalyst for the degradation of CR dye. The specified consequences indicate that effectively integrating dispersed SrMoO₄ nanoparticles with a g-C₃N₅ matrix can enhance visible-light absorption capacity, increase specific surface area, reduce the mobility of photogenerated charge carriers, and significantly improve the photocatalytic properties of the system. The SrMoO₄/g-C₃N₅ nanocomposite photocatalyst achieved 82% photodegradation of CR dye after 90 min, with a sustained degradation rate of 0.0197 min^− 1, which is approximately 6 and 1.5 times superior to that of SrMoO₄ and g-C₃N₅ nanomaterials, respectively, under visible light irradiation and thus the SrMoO₄/g-C₃N₅ nanocomposite is demonstrated high photocatalytic activity which follows Z-scheme mechanism. The trapping test confirmed that ^˙O₂⁻ radicals are the predominant reactive species in the catalytic process. A plausible mechanism for catalysis by the SrMoO₄/g-C₃N₅ nanocomposites was demonstrated. A degradation mechanism was suggested based on LC-MS characterization of the reaction intermediates. The SrMoO₄/g-C₃N₅ nanocomposites demonstrated stability, ease of recovery, and recyclability with minimal loss of activity, contributing to sustainable photocatalytic advancements in effectively degrading organic pollutants in environmental wastewater treatment and energy conversion.

Graphical Abstract