Cu2(OH)PO4/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol under infrared light irradiation

Sparked by the growing environmental crises, photocatalytic degradation of chlorophenols with inexhaustible solar energy is expected to be converted into actual applications. Here, we report the preparation of the nanocomposite of Cu2(OH)PO4 and reduced graphene oxide (Cu2(OH)PO4/rGO) through a one-step hydrothermal method and examined its infrared-light photocatalytic activity in the degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP). As evidenced by the absorption spectra and the degradation of 2,4-DCP, Cu2(OH)PO4/rGO exhibited enhanced infrared light-driven photocatalytic activity compared to pure Cu2(OH)PO4 and was very stable even after repeated cycling. More importantly, the introduction of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) could combine the photocatalytic and photo-Fenton effects into one reaction system and maximize the infrared light photocatalytic efficiency. Typically, the rate constant of Cu2(OH)PO4/rGO and H2O2 was more than 6.25 times higher than that of only Cu2(OH)PO4/rGO, and almost 10 times greater than the value for pure Cu2(OH)PO4. Further, a plausible mechanism for the enhanced photocatalytic properties of Cu2(OH)PO4/rGO has been discussed. These findings may help the development of novel hybrid photocatalysts with enhanced infrared light photocatalytic activity for applications in the treatment of chlorophenol-contaminated wastewater.

[1]  R. Dewil,et al.  Selective electrochemical degradation of 4-chlorophenol at a Ti/RuO2-IrO2 anode in chloride rich wastewater. , 2017, Journal of environmental management.

[2]  R. Gómez,et al.  Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of 4‐chlorophenol and 2,4‐dichlorophenol on in situ phosphated sol‐gel TiO2 , 2016 .

[3]  A. Ouerghi,et al.  Large area molybdenum disulphide- epitaxial graphene vertical Van der Waals heterostructures , 2016, Scientific Reports.

[4]  Xiao-jian Zhang,et al.  Adsorption of chlorophenols from aqueous solutions by pristine and surface functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes. , 2016, Journal of environmental sciences.

[5]  Qiang Fu,et al.  Catalysis with two-dimensional materials and their heterostructures. , 2016, Nature nanotechnology.

[6]  E. Kaxiras,et al.  Theory of Graphene Raman Scattering. , 2016, ACS nano.

[7]  Nan Wu,et al.  Efficient biodegradation of chlorophenols in aqueous phase by magnetically immobilized aniline-degrading Rhodococcus rhodochrous strain , 2016, Journal of Nanobiotechnology.

[8]  Monika Tomar,et al.  Controllable one step copper coating on carbon nanofibers for flexible cholesterol biosensor substrates. , 2016, Journal of materials chemistry. B.

[9]  Baoling Yuan,et al.  Toward NIR driven photocatalyst: Fabrication, characterization, and photocatalytic activity of β-NaYF4:Yb(3+),Tm(3+)/g-C3N4 nanocomposite. , 2015, Journal of colloid and interface science.

[10]  H. Ding,et al.  Cu2(OH)PO4/g-C3N4 composite as an efficient visible light-activated photo-Fenton photocatalyst , 2015 .

[11]  Wei‐Qing Huang,et al.  Electronic Structures and Photocatalytic Responses of SrTiO3(100) Surface Interfaced with Graphene, Reduced Graphene Oxide, and Graphane: Surface Termination Effect , 2015 .

[12]  Candace K. Chan,et al.  Investigation of the Optical Absorbance, Electronic, and Photocatalytic Properties of (Cu1–xCox)2(OH)PO4 Solid Solutions , 2015 .

[13]  N. Zhang,et al.  Enhancing the visible light photocatalytic performance of ternary CdS–(graphene–Pd) nanocomposites via a facile interfacial mediator and co-catalyst strategy , 2014 .

[14]  Yi‐Jun Xu,et al.  Noncovalently Functionalized Graphene-Directed Synthesis of Ultralarge Graphene-Based TiO2 Nanosheet Composites: Tunable Morphology and Photocatalytic Applications , 2014 .

[15]  Linfeng Hu,et al.  One‐Step Hydrothermal Synthesis of 2D Hexagonal Nanoplates of α‐Fe2O3/Graphene Composites with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity , 2014 .

[16]  M. Tadé,et al.  2D Porous graphitic C3N4 nanosheets/Ag3PO4 nanocomposites for enhanced visible-light photocatalytic degradation of 4-chlorophenol , 2014, Journal of Nanoparticle Research.

[17]  Wonyong Choi,et al.  Review of iron-free Fenton-like systems for activating H2O2 in advanced oxidation processes. , 2014, Journal of hazardous materials.

[18]  Daniel Gunzelmann,et al.  Observation of active sites for oxygen reduction reaction on nitrogen-doped multilayer graphene. , 2014, ACS nano.

[19]  J. Dai,et al.  Photocatalytic reduction synthesis of SrTiO3-graphene nanocomposites and their enhanced photocatalytic activity , 2014, Nanoscale Research Letters.

[20]  E. Choi,et al.  Measurement of Reactive Hydroxyl Radical Species Inside the Biosolutions During Non-thermal Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet Bombardment onto the Solution , 2014, Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing.

[21]  F. Emmerling,et al.  Graphene oxide/α-Bi(2)O(3) composites for visible-light photocatalysis, chemical catalysis, and solar energy conversion. , 2014, ChemSusChem.

[22]  Min Wang,et al.  Controlling Pesticide Loss through Nanonetworks , 2014 .

[23]  Ying Dai,et al.  Tuning photocatalytic performance of the near-infrared-driven photocatalyst Cu2(OH)PO4 based on effective mass and dipole moment. , 2014, Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP.

[24]  P. Xiong,et al.  A magnetically separable P25/CoFe2O4/graphene catalyst with enhanced adsorption capacity and visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity , 2013 .

[25]  Huaidong Jiang,et al.  A Bi2WO6‐Based Hybrid Photocatalyst with Broad Spectrum Photocatalytic Properties under UV, Visible, and Near‐Infrared Irradiation , 2013, Advanced materials.

[26]  T. Waite,et al.  Fenton-like copper redox chemistry revisited: Hydrogen peroxide and superoxide mediation of copper-catalyzed oxidant production , 2013 .

[27]  Gang Wang,et al.  Cu2(OH)PO4, a near-infrared-activated photocatalyst. , 2013, Angewandte Chemie.

[28]  W. Choi,et al.  Nanostructured graphene/Fe₃O₄ incorporated polyaniline as a high performance shield against electromagnetic pollution. , 2013, Nanoscale.

[29]  P. Weiss,et al.  Chemistry and physics of a single atomic layer: strategies and challenges for functionalization of graphene and graphene-based materials. , 2012, Chemical Society reviews.

[30]  Hailong Li,et al.  Copper hydroxyphosphate as catalyst for the wet hydrogen peroxide oxidation of azo dyes. , 2010, Journal of hazardous materials.

[31]  W. Lu,et al.  Improved synthesis of graphene oxide. , 2010, ACS nano.

[32]  L. Brinson,et al.  Functionalized graphene sheets for polymer nanocomposites. , 2008, Nature nanotechnology.

[33]  Rafael Cela,et al.  Ultrasound-assisted emulsification-microextraction of emergent contaminants and pesticides in environmental waters. , 2008, Journal of chromatography. A.

[34]  U. Patel,et al.  Dechlorination of chlorophenols using magnesium-palladium bimetallic system. , 2007, Journal of hazardous materials.

[35]  Dae Seung Moon,et al.  Cu(2+)-doped germano-silicate glass fiber with high resonant nonlinearity. , 2007, Optics express.

[36]  Suhas,et al.  Adsorption of 2,4-D and carbofuran pesticides using fertilizer and steel industry wastes. , 2006, Journal of colloid and interface science.

[37]  C. Gonçalves,et al.  Assessment of pesticide contamination in soil samples from an intensive horticulture area, using ultrasonic extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. , 2005, Talanta.

[38]  J. Hoppin,et al.  Health effects of chronic pesticide exposure: cancer and neurotoxicity. , 2004, Annual review of public health.

[39]  W. Chu,et al.  The hydrogen peroxide-assisted photocatalytic degradation of alachlor in TiO2 suspensions. , 2003, Environmental science & technology.

[40]  Donald L. Wise,et al.  Controlled release of biologically active agents for purposes of agricultural crop management , 1996 .

[41]  D. Goodman,et al.  XPS characterization of ultra-thin MgO films on a Mo(100) surface , 1994 .

[42]  Hong Liu,et al.  From UV to Near‐Infrared, WS2 Nanosheet: A Novel Photocatalyst for Full Solar Light Spectrum Photodegradation , 2015, Advances in Materials.