Effect of Bi2CrO6 content on the photocatalytic activity of ZnO/Bi2CrO6/carbon xerogel

• Grant number: 21/11239-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2021
• End date: March 15, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Liana Alvares Rodrigues
• Grantee: Monica Maria Morato Bessa Oliveira
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de Lorena (EEL). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Lorena , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In this project, the preparation of the Bi2CrO6/ZnO/carbon xerogel (CX) composite will be evaluated. The choice of Bi2CrO6 and ZnO was made based on the potential of their valence and conduction bands, aiming at the formation of effective heterojunctions. This coupling can facilitate effective charge separation, reducing the possibility of recombination of the electron/vacancy pairs generated by photoexcitation, increasing the efficiency of the photocatalytic process. However, this binary system has relatively low surface area and recombination time, which substantially reduces its photoactivity. These problems will be suppressed by the coupling of Bi2CrO6/ZnO with carbon xerogel, as this carbonaceous material has excellent electrical conductivity, high surface area and tailorable porous structure, which can be easily manipulated by modifications in the synthesis parameters. The photocatalytic action of the material will be evaluated by the degradation of 4-chlorophenol.(AU)