Enhancement in photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue by LaFeO3-GO integrated photocatalyst-adsorbents under visible light irradiation

Perovskite LaFeO3 photocatalyst prepared by using sol-gel glucose method was assembled on graphene oxide sheets to produce integrated photocatalyst-adsorbents (IPCA) and investigated as photocatalyst for the degradation of methylene blue under visible light irradiation. The prepared photocatalyst was characterized by FTIR, XRD, FESEM, BET specific surface area measurement, TEM/HRTEM and UV-Vis spectroscopy analysis. The FTIR, FESEM and TEM analysis has suggested that the photocatalyst LaFeO3 has been successfully embedded at the surface of the graphene oxide (GO) sheets due to a strong interaction between the photocatalyst and the adsorbents matrix. Methylene blue degradation shows that IPCA possesses higher photodegradation kinetics compared to bare LaFeO3 photocatalyst. The resultant photocatalyst also possesses magnetic properties which can overcome the difficulty in recollecting and removal of photocatalyst suspension in water after photocatalytic treatment.