Simple preparation of chitosan-coated thallium lead iodide nanostructures as a new visible-light photocatalyst in decolorization of organic contamination

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/j.molliq.2021.117299

Recently, semiconductor photocatalysts have gained significant awareness owing to their high potential for environmental protection and remediation. Suppression of charge carrier recombination and the effective harvesting of solar power are two main aspects of photocatalysis. Fabrication of nanostructured photocatalysts is an encouraging approach to enhance photocatalytic ability. In this research, Tl₄PbI₆ and chitosan-coated Tl₄PbI₆ nanostructures were fabricated via a simple coprecipitation method. The effect of stoichiometric ratio (TlI to PbI₂), variety of surfactants, and Tl₄PbI₆ content was scrutinized on the shape and structure of products. The bandgap of Tl₄PbI₆ was estimated at 2.6 eV, which made it suitable for photocatalytic activity. The morphology of products was carried out by FESEM photographs, indicating that various parameters had a significant impact on the size and morphology of the products. This demonstrates the first investigation of the photocatalytic ability of Tl₄PbI₆ and chitosan-coated Tl₄PbI₆ nanostructures. The photocatalytic activity was considered to destruct several dyes such as thymol blue, rhodamine B, methyl orange, and methyl violet under visible light. The outcome showed that chitosan-coated Tl₄PbI₆ can eliminate thymol blue with high efficiency (76.3%). Based on reusability, chitosan-coated Tl₄PbI₆ is so durable and maintains its great photocatalytic performance across five reaction cycles. Indeed during the fifth period, the reduction in photocatalytic activity is 7.7%.