Visible Light Motivated the Photocatalytic Degradation of P-Nitrophenol by Ca2+-Doped AgInS2

Kezhen Qi; Xuejiao Wang; Shuyuan Liu; Shu Lin; Yuhua Ma; Ya Yan

doi:10.3390/molecules29020361

Visible Light Motivated the Photocatalytic Degradation of P-Nitrophenol by Ca²⁺-Doped AgInS₂

Molecules. 2024 Jan 11;29(2):361. doi: 10.3390/molecules29020361.

Authors

Kezhen Qi¹, Xuejiao Wang¹, Shuyuan Liu¹, Shu Lin¹, Yuhua Ma², Ya Yan¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Pharmacy, Dali University, Dali 671000, China.
² College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi 830054, China.

PMID: 38257274
DOI: 10.3390/molecules29020361

Abstract

4-Nitrophenol (4-NP) is considered a priority organic pollutant with high toxicity. Many authors have been committed to developing efficient, green, and environmentally friendly technological processes to treat wastewater containing 4-NP. Here, we investigated how the addition of Ca²⁺ affects the catalytic degradation of 4-NP with AgInS₂ when exposed to light. We synthesized AgInS₂ (AIS) and Ca²⁺-doped AgInS₂ (Ca-AIS) with varying amounts of Ca²⁺ using a low-temperature liquid phase method. The SEM, XRD, XPS, HRTEM, BET, PL, and UV-Vis DRS characteristics were employed to analyze the structure, morphology, and optical properties of the materials. The effects of different amounts of Ca²⁺ on the photocatalytic degradation of 4-NP were investigated. Under visible light illumination for a duration of 120 min, a degradation rate of 63.2% for 4-Nitrophenol (4-NP) was achieved. The results showed that doping with an appropriate amount of Ca²⁺ could improve the visible light catalytic activity of AIS. This work provides an idea for finding suitable cheap alkaline earth metal doping agents to replace precious metals for the improvement of photocatalytic activities.

Keywords: 4-Nitrophenol; AgInS2; Ca2+; doping; visible photocatalytic degradation.