Synergetic effect of functionalized carbon nanotubes on ZnCr-mixed metal oxides for enhanced solar light-driven photocatalytic performance

In this work, ZnCr-mixed metal oxides (MMO) hybridized with functionalized carbon nanotubes (A-CNTs) have been successfully fabricated via vacuum calcination of the layered double hydroxide precursors. The structural and morphological characterization of the samples was investigated by multiple techniques such as XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, BET, Raman and UV-vis DRS. The results showed that A-CNTs were well incorporated into the MMO nanoparticles to form a nanohybrid structure dependent upon intimate interfacial contact. As compared to pristine MMO, the obtained MMO-CNTs nanohybrids exhibited significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance for bisphenol A (BPA) degradation under simulative solar light irradiation, providing powerful evidence for the superiority of the hybridization with A-CNTs. The key role of A-CNTs played in enhancing the photocatalytic activity of the nanohybrids was probably ascribed to the larger surface area, higher visible light absorption and the more efficient restriction of charge carriers recombination.