Multifunctional Pr-V₂O₅/rGO hybrid nanomaterial for sensitive heavy metal ion detection and efficient photocatalytic dye degradation

This work elucidates the synthesis of V₂O₅, Praseodymium (Pr) doped vanadium pentoxide Pr-V₂O₅ nanoparticles (NPs) and Pr-V₂O₅/rGO nanocomposite by green combustion method, using Manilkara zapota as a novel combustion fuel. The synthesised Pr-V₂O₅/rGO nano catalyst was characterized by various physicochemical techniques. Pr-V₂O₅/rGO exhibits an excellent electrochemical ability to detect Pb²⁺ with lower limit of detection 2.919 nM and sensitivity 0.8113 μA/nM cm². Further, the Pr-V₂O₅/rGO employed for the photocatalytic degradation of MB dye displayed remarkable efficiency through swift degradation. Also, the conditions such as catalytic load, pH, and dye concentration were optimized to achieve most efficient degradation of the dye. Pr-V₂O₅ provides a greater number of catalytic sites and high ion transport channels, whereas rGO provides the conductivity and porosity to the nanocatalyst. By utilizing these synergic advantages, Pr-V₂O₅/rGO nanocatalyst effectively detects heavy metal ions (HMIs) and degrade methylene blue (MB) dye, befitting from unique morphology of Pr doped V₂O₅ nanoparticles wrapped into the two dimensional rGO nano sheets. The above results limelight that Pr-V₂O₅/rGO as the multifunctional catalyst for promising detection of hazardous metal ions and effective environmental remediation.