“Tunable electronic structure of Ac/Ag@CdO nanocomposites for enhanced photodegradation of alizarin red dye”
摘要
This study focuses on the synthesis and characterization of CdO, Ag@CdO, and Ac/Ag@CdO nanocomposites using the co-precipitation method, with the objective of enhancing their photocatalytic applications. The novelty of this work lies in the incorporation of activated carbon (Ac) and silver (Ag) into CdO to improve visible light absorption and charge separation efficiency. Comprehensive characterization was conducted using FT-IR, HR-TEM, XPS, UV-DRS, PL, FE-SEM with EDX, and XRD techniques. XRD analysis revealed an average crystalline size of 37 nm for CdO, 39 nm for Ag@CdO, and 49 nm for Ac/Ag@CdO, notably with 27.0% C, 2.61% Ag, 60.58% O, and 9.51% Cd. FT-IR spectra identified characteristic vibrations corresponding to Cd–O (693 cm⁻1), Ag–O (1395 cm⁻1), C = O (1645 cm⁻1), and surface hydroxyl groups (3438 cm⁻1). The study demonstrated that Ac/Ag@CdO exhibits superior photocatalytic performance in the degradation of alizarin red dye under UV light at neutral pH (7.5), outperforming pure CdO and Ag@CdO. This enhanced activity is attributed to improved light absorption in the visible range (400–600 nm) and more effective charge separation due to the synergistic effects of Ag and activated carbon. Additionally, key operational parameters such as catalyst loading, pH effect, dye adsorption, and mineralization were optimized. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) measurements confirmed effective mineralization of the dye. Importantly, the catalyst exhibited reusability, maintaining significant photocatalytic efficiency over multiple cycles. The findings highlight the potential of Ac/Ag@CdO nanocomposites for practical environmental remediation applications, offering a promising route for the development of advanced photocatalysis. This work contributes to the field by presenting a scalable and cost-effective approach to synthesize high-performance multifunctional nanomaterials.