Anupriya James’s research while affiliated with National Institute of Technology Karnataka and other places

Iron (Fe)-incorporated zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized via chemical precipitation technique and studied using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. PXRD analysis reveals a hexagonal wurtzite structure for all the synthesized samples. UV–visible measurements demonstrate a reduction in the bandgap of ZnO with an increase in Fe concentration. The ZnO and Fe-incorporated ZnO NPs are studied for the degradation of organic textile dye under visible light irradiation. All the nanoparticles are thoroughly investigated using impedance and dielectric measurements in the frequency range of 20 Hz to 1 MHz. The results obtained are compared, interpreted, and presented in this paper.

The increasing demand for clean energy sources and the growing concerns about environmental pollution have led to a significant interest in developing efficient photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical systems. Here, we report the visible-light-induced photo-Fenton catalytic degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) dye over LaFeO3 and LaCoxFe1−xO3 (x = 0.01, 0.05, 0.1) catalysts synthesized via the facile combustion method. The LaCo0.01Fe0.99O3 has significantly enhanced the photo-Fenton catalytic efficiency of LaFeO3 from 67.75 to 93.85% for MB dye removal after 180 min of light irradiation. The rate constants calculated via the pseudo-first-order kinetics mechanism are found to be 0.00532/min for LaFeO3 and 0.01476/min for LaCo0.01Fe0.99O3, respectively. In addition, the most effective LaCo0.01Fe0.99O3 catalyst has demonstrated remarkable degradation performance towards Tetracycline (TC) and Methyl Orange (MO) dye with an efficacy of 93.81% and 69.67%, respectively, indicating its versatility. Further, the pristine and doped LaFeO3 were structurally optimized using DFT, and the computed band gaps were following the experimental data. Interestingly, the same catalyst can be employed as a light-induced electrocatalyst in addition to water treatment by taking advantage of its dual functionality. The LaCo0.01Fe0.99O3 catalyst achieved a benchmark current density of 10 mA/cm2 for H2 evolution at an overpotential of 297 mV vs. RHE which further improved to 190 mV vs. RHE under illumination. This work provides valuable insights on partial Co incorporation at the B-site of LaFeO3 for the development of visible-light-induced photocatalytic and electrocatalytic systems, which is hoped to contribute to the advancement of sustainable energy production and environmental remediation.

Due to growing concern over environmental remediation and the energy crisis, perovskite nanoparticles have gained wide interest in converting solar energy to sustainable fuel and also in degrading organic effluents. Herein, we report the synthesis and bi-functional activity of one-pot-glycine combustion derived LaMxFe1-xO3 (M = Cu, Co, Ni; x = 0, 0.01) for photo-Fenton degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) and photoelectrochemical water splitting. When used as a photocatalyst, with partial substitution of Cu even at a lower concentration, LaCu0.01Fe0.99O3 has exhibited excellent degradation efficiency of 96.4% in 90 min, which is 2.5 times better than the LaFeO3. On the other hand, Co and Ni modified LaFeO3 photocatalysts have demonstrated prominent activities with degradation efficiency of 93.8% and 74.8% respectively within 180 min of visible light irradiation. The retention and reusability analysis showed that LaCu0.01Fe0.99O3 is stable against photo corrosion and remains unchanged after 5 consecutive cycles of MB dye degradation. In addition, LaCu0.01Fe0.99O3 is complimented as a single catalyst for dual functions such as photocatalysis and electrocatalysis, both of which are assisted by visible light. Under illumination, the overpotential (η) improved from 507.6 mV vs RHE (dark) to 498.1 mV vs RHE (light) for O2 evolution and 220.5 mV vs RHE (dark) to 182.8 mV vs RHE (light) for H2 generation respectively. The light response of the catalyst and improvement in activity is validated by the significant enhancement in current density under exposure at both half cycle of chronoamperometry.