Synthesis of polyaniline decorated with ZnO and CoMoO4 nanoparticles for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of imidacloprid pesticide under visible light

Structural design in a semiconductor photocatalyst is significant to improve the photocatalytic efficiency to solve current energy or environmental problems. In this study, we developed a Z-scheme photocatalyst system consisting of PANI/ZnO-CoMoO4 for degradation photocatalytic processes. The structural composition and morphologies of the PANI/ZnO-CoMoO4 nanocomposite were analyzed by FTIR, FESEM-EDS, and XRD techniques. Subsequently, the pesticide-degradation experiments were performed for the degradation of imidacloprid (IM) using as-synthesized PANI/ZnO-CoMoO4 nanocomposite under visible-light irradiation to investigate its photocatalytic activity. The influence of PANI/ZnO-CoMoO4 amount, pH, and IM concentration on the performance of the degradation reaction has been considered by the experimental design. Under optimal conditions (4.5 ppm of IM, pH = 4, and 163.5 mg photocatalyst), about 97% of the IM was degraded within 180 min of irradiation. The prepared photocatalyst can be readily recovered and reutilized with the centrifugation process. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The development of a Z-scheme photocatalyst system consisting of PANI/ZnO-CoMoO4 successfully degraded imidacloprid (IM) under visible-light irradiation. The experimental design considered the influence of photocatalyst amount, pH, and IM concentration on the degradation efficiency. Under optimal conditions, the photocatalyst could efficiently degrade 97% of IM.