Graphene-like <i>h</i>-BN supported polyhedral NiS<sub>2</sub>/NiS nanocrystals with excellent photocatalytic performance for removing rhodamine B and Cr(VI)

doi:10.1007/s11705-021-2094-2

Front. Chem. Sci. Eng.

2021, Vol. 15

Issue (6) : 1537-1549 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-021-2094-2

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Graphene-like h-BN supported polyhedral NiS₂/NiS nanocrystals with excellent photocatalytic performance for removing rhodamine B and Cr(VI)

Wei Wang¹, Linlin Song¹, Huoli Zhang¹(

), Guanghui Zhang¹, Jianliang Cao^1,²(

)

¹. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Key Laboratory of Coal Green Conversion, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454000, China
². State Collaborative Innovation Center of Coal Work Safety and Clean-efficiency Utilization, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454000, China

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Abstract

Human health is deteriorating due to the effluent containing heavy metal ions and organic dyes. Hence, photoreduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) and degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) using a novel photocatalyst is particularly important. In this work, h-BN/NiS₂/NiS composites were prepared via a simple solvothermal method and a double Z-scheme heterojunction was constructed for efficiently removing RhB and Cr(VI). The 7 wt-% h-BN/NiS₂/NiS composites were characterized via a larger specific surface area (15.12 m²·g^–1), stronger light absorption capacity, excellent chemical stability, and high yield of electrons and holes. The experimental result indicated that the photoreduction efficiency of the 7 wt-% h-BN/NiS₂/NiS photocatalyst achieved 98.5% for Cr(VI) after 120 min, which was about 3 times higher than that of NiS₂/NiS (34%). However, the removal rate of RhB by the 7 wt-% h-BN/NiS₂/NiS photocatalyst reached 80%. This is due to the double Z-scheme heterojunction formed between NiS₂/NiS and h-BN, which improved the charge separation efficiency and transmission efficiency. Besides, the influence of diverse photogenerated electron and hole scavengers upon the photoreduction of Cr(VI) was studied, the results indicated that graphene-like h-BN promoted transportation of photoinduced charges on the surface of the h-BN/NiS₂/NiS photocatalyst via the interfacial effects.

Keywords graphene-like h-BN h-BN/NiS₂/NiS composites photocatalysis Cr(VI) reduction degradation of RhB

Corresponding Author(s): Huoli Zhang,Jianliang Cao

Online First Date: 11 October 2021 Issue Date: 09 November 2021

Cite this article:

Wei Wang,Linlin Song,Huoli Zhang, et al. Graphene-like h-BN supported polyhedral NiS₂/NiS nanocrystals with excellent photocatalytic performance for removing rhodamine B and Cr(VI)[J]. Front. Chem. Sci. Eng., 2021, 15(6): 1537-1549.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fcse/EN/10.1007/s11705-021-2094-2
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fcse/EN/Y2021/V15/I6/1537

Fig.1 Scheme 1 Schematic illustration of h-BN/NiS₂/NiS photocatalysts synthesis.

Fig.2 XRD patterns of different samples.

Fig.3 SEM images of (a, d) h-BN, (b, e) NiS₂/NiS, (c, f) 7 wt-% h-BN/NiS₂/NiS; (g) EDS elemental mapping of 7 wt-% h-BN/NiS₂/NiS for Ni, S, B, and N.

Fig.4 (a, b) TEM and (c, d) high-resolution TEM images of 7 wt-% h-BN/NiS₂/NiS photocatalyst; (e) EDS spectrum of 7 wt-% h-BN/NiS₂/NiS photocatalyst.

Fig.5 XPS spectra of 7 wt-% h-BN/NiS₂/NiS (a) survey spectra, (b) B 1s, (c) N 1s, (d) Ni 2p, (e) S 2p.

Fig.6 N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherms and pore size distribution curves (inset) of (a) h-BN, (b) NiS₂/NiS, and (c) 7 wt-% h-BN/NiS₂/NiS.

Fig.7 (a) Photoreduction efficiency of Cr(VI) (10 mg?L^–¹) with adding different photocatalysts under light irradiation; (b) UV-vis absorption spectra of Cr(VI) under different time using 7 wt-% h-BN/NiS₂/NiS photocatalyst; (c) kinetics curves of Cr(VI) reduction; (d) rate constant k; (e) degradation of RhB (10 mg?L^–¹) with adding 7 wt-% h-BN/NiS₂/NiS composites; (f) recycling test of photoreduction Cr(VI).

Tab.1 Comparison of the photocatalytic performances in the present work and the previously reported NiS_x-based composites

Fig.8 (a) UV-vis DRS and (b) photoreduction Cr(VI) with different scavenger of 7 wt-% h-BN/NiS₂/NiS; (c) transient photocurrent responses and (d) EIS of NiS₂/NiS and 3, 5, 7 and 10 wt-% h-BN/NiS₂/NiS samples.

Fig.9 PL spectra of (a) the as-prepared h-BN/NiS₂/NiS and NiS₂/NiS, and (b) h-BN/NiS₂/NiS photocatalysts with different contents of h-BN.

Fig.10 Schematic mechanism of 7 wt-% h-BN/NiS₂/NiS photocatalyst.

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