Enhanced photocatalytic activity of V2O5 nanorods for the photodegradation of organic dyes: A detailed understanding of the mechanism and their antibacterial activity

By Santhosh Kumar Jayaraj, Vishwanathan Sadishkumar, T. Arun, P. Thangadurai. Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing, 2018

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Abstract Photocatalytic activity of the hydrothermally prepared V2O5 nanorods had been tested for Rhodamine 6G (Rh-6G), methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation. The photodegradation was maximum for Rh-6G (85%) followed by 48% and 24% for MO and MB respectively and it was faster in Rh-6G. The degradation rate constant and half-life time were 0.603 h−1 and 1.229 h respectively for Rh-6G and responsible for enhanced photocatalytic performance. The degradation of Rh-6G had occurred via N-de-ethylation process. The Rh-6G had best performed in the neutral pH conditions, better in acidic and poor in basic conditions. Increasing photodegradation in Rh-6G was understood by scavenging the increasingly formed •OH radicals by the PL emission of formed photoluminescent species 2-TAOH. The effect of active O • 2 − is demonstrated to be major player on the degradation of Rh-6G. The V2O5 nanorods showed reproducible, repeatable, and efficient degradation of Rh-6G in aqueous solution. Additionally, it showed good anti-bacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.

Subfields: Polymers and Plastics, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/6cbacc5d3ced4a89ddcb553912de37e8547a1113