1. Enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting coupled with pharmaceutical pollutants degradation on Zr:BiVO4 photoanodes by synergetic catalytic activity of NiFeOOH nanostructures
- Author
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Prabhakarn Arunachalam, Maged N. Shaddad, Mabrook S. Amer, and Abdulhadi AL-Qadi
- Subjects
BiVO4 ,Nickel Iron oxy hydroxide ,Tetracylcine ,Photoelectro transformation ,Electrodepostiion ,Photoelectrocatalysis ,Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) ,TA1-2040 - Abstract
Globally, the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria has created an urgent need for an effective method to remove antibiotics from pharmaceutical wastewater. Engineering Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) with an oxygen evolution cocatalyst (OEC) holds a promising potential for enhancing water splitting efficiency in the production of hydrogen (H2) using free solar energy. Here, we successfully developed a Zr:BiVO4/NiFeOOH heterojunction by electrodeposition and photoelectrochemical transformation. Zr:BiVO4/NiFeOOH photoanodes exhibit 5 fold superior photocurrent response at 1.23 V compared with Zr:BiVO4 electrodes, since NiFeOOH acts as an oxygen-releasing catalyst. Furthermore, the attained heterojunctioned electrode can effectively degrade TCH, riboflavin, and streptomycin in PEC. The degradation rate of TCH acquired 96% within 1 h, which is 3 times superior than the efficiency reported for pristine Zr:BiVO4 photoelectrodes. By introducing NiFeOOH into BiVO4, electron life-time was increased and electron-hole recombination was suppressed. In this study, we present a solar-driven, sustainable and effective way of treating wastewater and provide new insights into the process.
- Published
- 2024
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