Investigation on photocatalytic degradation of hazardous chloramphenicol drug and amaranth dye by SmVO4 decorated g-C3N4 nanocomposites

In the present study, well designed visible light active SmVO4/g-C3N4 (SM/CN) nanocomposite was fabricated by the facile hydrothermal method without using any templates or surfactants. The phase structure, surface morphology, and optical property of as-prepared samples were characterized by various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques like XRD, FT-IR, SEM, TEM, XPS, UV-Vis DRS, and EIS analysis. The photocatalytic activity of as-synthesized SM/CN nanocomposite was estimated for the removal of hazardous chloramphenicol (CP) drug and amaranth dye in aqueous solution under the irradiation of visible light. Fortunately, the UV-Visible spectroscopy studies revealed that the SM/CN nanocatalyst shows excellent photocatalytic activity towards the degradation of CP drug and amaranth dye with 94.35 and 99.11% efficiency respectively. The photocatalytic activity of SM/CN nanocatalyst was ascribed to the separation of photoinduced charge career. By employing trapping experiments using various scavengers the plausible mechanism of the photocatalytic activity of SM/CN nanocatalyst was proved. The present protocols findings open up a new platform for the metal-free g-C3N4 decorated photocatalyst for an efficient candidate for the removal of organic pollutants from the environment.

Automated summary

In this study, a visible light active SmVO4/g-C3N4 nanocomposite was fabricated using a simple hydrothermal method, showing excellent photocatalytic activity in degrading chloramphenicol drug and amaranth dye. Through UV-Visible spectroscopy studies and trapping experiments, the mechanism of this nanocatalyst was confirmed, opening up new possibilities for metal-free g-C3N4 decorated photocatalysts in removing organic pollutants from the environment.