Mesoporous Octahedron-Shaped Tricobalt Tetroxide Nanoparticles for Photocatalytic Degradation of Toxic Dyes

Abstract

The present article reports a facile approach to fabrication of mesoporous octahedron-shaped tricobalt tetroxide nanoparticles (Co₃O₄ NPs) with a very narrow size distribution for eco-friendly remediation of toxic dyes. Co₃O₄ NPs were fabricated by a sol<i>-</i>gel process using cobalt chloride hexahydrate (CoCl₂·6H₂O) and monosodium succinate (C₄H₅O₄Na) as a chelating/structure-directing agent and sodium dodecyl sulfate as a surfactant. Moreover, the phase structure, elemental composition, and thermal and morphological facets of Co₃O₄ NPs were investigated using XRD, FT-IR, EDS, Raman, XPS, TGA, SEM, and TEM techniques. The face-centered cubic spinel crystalline structure of the Co₃O₄ NPs was confirmed by XRD and SEM, and TEM analysis revealed their octahedron morphology with a smooth surface. Moreover, the narrow pore size distribution and the mesoporous nature of the Co₃O₄ NPs were confirmed by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurements. The photocatalytic activity of Co₃O₄ NPs for degradation of methyl red (MR), Eriochrome Black-T (EBT), bromophenol blue (BPB), and malachite green (MG) was examined under visible light irradiation, and the kinetics of the dye degradation was pseudo-zero-order with the rate constant in the order of MR > EBT > MG > BPB. Furthermore, the mechanism of photo-disintegration mechanism of the dye was examined by a scavenging test using liquid chromatography-mass chromatography, and its excellent photodegradation activities were attributed to the photogenerated holes (h⁺), superoxide (O₂ ^-) anions, and hydroxyl (^·OH) radicals. Finally, the synergistic effect of the nano-interconnected channels with octahedron geometry, mesoporous nature, and charge transfer properties along with photogenerated charge separations leads to an enhanced Co₃O₄ photocatalytic activity.