Sonochemical synthesis and characterization of Ho-Cu-O nanostructures and their application as photocatalyst for degradation of water-soluble organic pollutants under UV light

Water pollutants have been a significant concern in recent years. It is essential to use advanced materials that effectively reduce these pollutants. This work introduces Ho2Cu2O5/Ho2O3 nanocomposites as a novel catalyst for photodegradation of various water-soluble organic pollutants. First, Ho2Cu2O5/Ho2O3 nanocomposites were prepared via a simple and fast ultrasonic-assisted route. The chemical and morphological features of the as-synthesized sample were determined using VSM, FTIR, XRD, EDS, SEM, and TEM analysis. Also, the optical bandgaps and pore diameter were determined to be 3.1, 3.6 eV, and 12.74 nm via ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) for Ho2Cu2O5 and Ho2O3, respectively. The findings revealed that the prepared nanocomposite could act as a photocatalyst for removing various organic pollutants from water. 93.01% and 92% of Eriochrome black T (ECBT) and Acid yellow (AY) were degraded under UV irradiation at optimum conditions after 120 min (0.03 g of photocatalyst and 10 ppm of pollutants). The kinetics of the ECBT removal was studied through the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model, and the apparent rate of the pseudo-first-order reaction (k = 0.03465 min−1) was obtained. The use of different scavengers made it clear that formation •O2– species were primarily responsible for the photodegradation of pollutants.