Simultaneous photocatalytic Cr(VI) reduction and phenol degradation over copper sulphide-reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite under visible light irradiation: Performance and reaction mechanism

The contamination of water by synthetic organic molecules and trace metals is a growing challenge, in spite the enormous research efforts being made field treatment. In this study, reduced graphene oxide-copper sulphide (rGO-CuS) nanocomposites different rGO/CuS (2/1, 1/1, 1/2) molar ratios were fabricated via facile one-step hydrothermal method. nanocomposite materials, named hereafter as 2rGO-CuS, rGO-CuS rGO-2CuS, characterized using various analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive (EDX) photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) UV–visible spectrophotometry. photocatalytic performance was assessed under visible light irradiation (? > 420 nm) for simultaneous reduction Cr(VI) phenol degradation. It found that rGO-2CuS achieved remarkable enhancement activity among prepared degradation Cr(VI). Therefore, over sample further investigated. experimental results revealed catalyst maintained good efficacy mixed pollutants after 6 runs dissolved oxygen to be essential promote A detailed mechanism proposed based on quenching experiments fluorescence measurements. • photocatalyst approach. high efficiency exhibited improved stability 5 cycles. Plausible pathway proposed.