Nanoporous NiO@SiO2 photo-catalyst prepared by ion-exchange method for fast elimination of reactive dyes from wastewater

S. K. Lahiri, C. Zhang, M. Sillanpää, L. Liu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

48 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Photo-catalytic elimination of organic contaminants plays a significant role in wastewater treatment. Developing a highly efficient photo-catalyst is one of the leading research topic. Herein, we reported the fabrication of a novel nanoporous NiO@SiO2 photo-catalyst by a simple ion-exchange method to eliminate the reactive dyes. The synthesized NiO@SiO2 catalyst exhibited fast photo-degradation and excellent adsorption capability and could efficiently remove Red FN-3GL dye from wastewater, due to a high loading of NiO and a large specific surface area, abundant electron-withdrawing groups, as well as narrow bandgap energy. In addition, the NiO@SiO2 photo-catalyst also displayed a high capability to remove reactive dyes over a wide range of pH values (pH 3–9). The prominent adsorption and photo-degradation of dyes were strongly dependent on the surface charge of the catalyst and the generation of hydroxyl radicals (OH) by the catalyst, respectively. Furthermore, the NiO@SiO2 photo-catalyst also exhibited excellent recyclability, thus demonstrating the feasibility of practical applications in industries. The strategy of covering the metal oxide to nanoporous silica is a promising method for developing active photo-catalysts and applying them in the wastewater treatments.

Original languageEnglish
Article number100677
JournalMaterials Today Chemistry
Volume23
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Adsorption
  • Ion-exchange
  • Nanoporous NiO@SiO
  • Photo-degradation
  • Wastewater treatment

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Catalysis
  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Biomaterials
  • Polymers and Plastics
  • Colloid and Surface Chemistry
  • Materials Chemistry

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