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Ag Nanoparticles–Doped Co 3 O 4 Composite Photocatalyst for UV Light–Assisted Degradation of Polystyrene Nanoplastics
Summary
Researchers developed a silver-doped cobalt oxide (Ag/Co₃O₄) photocatalyst that achieved 61% degradation efficiency for polystyrene nanoplastics under UV irradiation, outperforming Co₃O₄ and silver nanoparticles alone. This work advances photocatalytic approaches for breaking down persistent nanoplastic pollution in water treatment applications.
Nanoplastics are a significant environmental threat due to their persistence and toxicity. In this study, we prepared a kind of Ag-doped Co3O4 catalyst using a coprecipitation method, aimed at enhancing its photocatalytic degradation efficiency of polystyrene nanoplastics under UV irradiation. Morphology and component of Ag/Co3O4 have been investigated by XRD, FTIR, TEM, and BET analysis. The information of absorption and energy levels for catalysts is provided by UV-vis DRS, Tauc plots, and Mott-Schottky curves. Charge-transfer abilities for catalysts have been analyzed by PL spectra and EIS. The photocatalytic activities of Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs), Co3O4, and Ag/Co3O4 have been carefully evaluated in this work. Ag/Co3O4 photocatalyst exhibits the highest degradation efficiency with a kinetic rate constant of 0.0086 min- 1, outperforming that of Co3O4 (0.0062 min- 1) and Ag NPs (0.0036 min- 1). The degradation efficiencies for catalysts have also been assessed under varying pH conditions (neutral, acidic, and basic). Among them, Ag/Co3O4 shows a notable degradation efficiency of 61% at pH 7, compared to 46% for Co3O4 and 30% for Ag NPs. In addition, the intermediates and final products have also been discussed according to Py-GC/MS results.