Facile fabrication of CoAl2O4 based rGO nanohybrid as an environmental purifier for photodegradation of methylene blue.

The release of noxious organic pollutant from the textile industry into the water contents create a severe hazard to living and the aquatic component. The aluminate spinel family act as a potent photocatalyst to mineralize the organic dyes under the visible spectrum. But their poor photocatalytic efficiency can be enhanced with carbon-based material via composite strategies. In this study, the CoAl₂O₄/rGO nanocomposite is developed via the hydrothermal method. The various analytical tools employed to study the material characteristics. The photocatalytic efficiency is measured with the photomineralization of methylene blue (MB) under exposure to light of visible source. Their photocatalytic analysis suggests that CoAl₂O₄/rGO exhibited the 97.16% photocatalytic efficiency than a CoAl₂O₄ (77.51%) and rGO (88.01%). The EIS revealed that the nanohybrid exhibited 2.18 Ω than other synthesized materials. The greater photomineralization of MB is owing to the lower chances of electron (e⁻) and holes (h⁺) recombination and the large interfacial area of the rGO nanosheet. The catalytic efficacy of spinel based rGO nanohybrid can be enhanced by tuning the morphology, crystallite size and band gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]