Synthesis of g-carbon nitride-Ag3PO4 nanohybrid using Okra plant extract and their photocatalytic activity for the degradation of fluorescein and crystal violet dyes

Abstract

Development of eco-friendly efficient photo catalyst is an urgent need for waste water treatment in industry. A facile eco-friendly method is established to synthesize hybrid nanocomposite of g-C3N4/Ag3PO4 using Abelmoschus esculentus plant extract and used as highly efficient photo catalyst for degradation of textile toxins and pharmaceutical waste from industrial waste water. The synthesized catalysts have been characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, TEM and EDAX analysis. XRD peaks confirm the cubic phase of Ag3PO4, high crystallinity and purity of nanocomposite. SEM studies show nanocomposites with rough surface and irregular morphology. TEM reports confirm the spherical morphology of silver phosphate and it is evenly wrapped on the surface of graphene sheets. EDAX confirms the purity and presence of all elements in composite. Photo catalytic activity of catalyst has been investigated towards degradation of CV and Fluorescein dyes. The superior photo catalytic performance of g-C3N4/Ag3PO4 nanohybrid composite on CV and Fluorescein dye has been observed and compared with recent report of literature. The photo catalytic studies revealed that the synthesized catalyst is efficient and degrade 95% of Fluorescein and CV within 2 hours. Reusability of the catalyst has been evaluated and it reveals stability and recyclability of the catalyst. The mechanism of photo catalytic activity has also been discussed in detail.