Rational design of Boerhavia diffusa derived CoFe2O4-Carbon dots@Boehmite platform for photocatalysis and ultra trace monitoring of hazardous pesticide and UO22+ ions

In view of exploiting natural resources for designing of effectual materials in favor of detection and obliteration of water pollutants, a fluorescent nanomaterial (CDBHCF) based on biomass derived carbon dots (CDs) was constructed. The CDs and cobalt ferrite (CF) particles were anchored on boehmite (BH) which served as a support material for CDs. The CDBHCF nanocomposite was prepared via facile hydrothermal treatment for selective recognition of Methyl parathion (MP) pesticide and uranyl ions (UO₂²⁺). The corresponding structural, morphological and opto-electronic properties of the nanomaterials have been investigated by different physicochemical techniques. The fluorescent CDBHCF probe was employed to detect extremely low concentration of MP and UO₂²⁺ with detection limit of 22.4 nM and 4.4 nM, respectively. Ultimately, the proposed sensing platform was validated through real sample analysis. Besides, CDBHCF nanocomposite was utilized for photocatalytic abolition of Tetracycline (TC) in water samples. Initially, the impact of various operational parameters on the degradation efficiency, including catalyst dosage and initial pH were thoroughly examined. Under optimized conditions, the fabricated CDBHCF nanocomposite demonstrated excellent results for photocatalytic degradation of TC (92 % degradation in 120 min) under visible light illumination. Thus, the proposed strategy delivered an innovative insight for dual purpose of CDBHCF nanocomposite: as a fluorescent probe for real time monitoring and as a photocatalyst for removal of pollutants via simple photocatalytic degradation.