Palladium-doped–ZrO₂–multiwalled carbon nanotubes nanocomposite: an advanced photocatalyst for water treatment

The photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants from water using palladium-doped–zirconium oxide–multiwalled carbon nanotubes (Pd–ZrO₂–MWCNTs) nanocomposites is presented. A series of Pd doped–ZrO₂–MWCNTs nanocomposites with varying percentage compositions of Pd were prepared by the homogenous co-precipitation method. The photocatalytic applicability of the materials was investigated by the degradation of acid blue 40 dye in water under simulated solar light. The optical, morphological and structural properties of the nanocomposites were evaluated using X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transformer infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, BET surface area analysis and (UV–Vis) spectroscopy. The Pd–ZrO₂–MWCNTs nanocomposites showed enhanced photocatalytic activity toward the degradation of the acid blue 40 dye under visible light compared with bare ZrO₂ and ZrO₂–MWCNTs alone. The remarkable photocatalytic activity of Pd–ZrO₂–MWCNTs nanocomposites in the visible light makes it an ideal photocatalyst for the removal of organic pollutants in water. The 0.5 % Pd–ZrO₂–MWCNT was the most efficient photocatalyst with 98 % degradation after 3 h with corresponding K_a and band gap values of 16.8 × 10⁻³ m⁻¹ and 2.79 eV, respectively.