Fabrication of CNTs supported CuCo2O4/Co3S4 composite for advanced photocatalytic application.

A ternary nanocomposite CuCo 2 O 4 /Co 3 S 4 @CNTs is synthesized to degrade industrial effluents. Copper cobaltite and cobalt sulfide were synthesized by adopting the coprecipitation method. The binary nanocomposite CuCo 2 O 4 /Co 3 S 4 and ternary composite CuCo 2 O 4 /Co 3 S 4 @CNT were prepared by ultrasonication. The prepared samples were used to degrade organic dye i.e. crystal violet (CV) to investigate the photocatalytic activity. The observed percentage degradation of crystal violet is 56.6%, 50.0%, 81.65%, and 90% by copper cobaltite, cobalt sulfide, their binary composite, and CNTs-based nanocomposite, respectively. The percentage degradation of the ternary composite was highest within 140 min of irradiation of visible light. The significant photocatalytic activity of CNTs based nanocomposite is because of the presence of CNT which prevents the recombination rate of charge carriers and serves as an electron mediator allowing rapid transfer of electrons from copper cobaltite to cobalt sulfide and provides greater surface area for degradation reaction. CuCo 2 O 4 /Co 3 S 4 @CNT could be a potential candidate for advanced photocatalytic applications because it is stable over 4 successive cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]