A single energy conversion and storage cell of nickel-doped cobalt oxide under UV and visible light illumination

Development of Three-Dimensional Nickel-Cobalt Oxide Nanoflowers for Superior Photocatalytic Degradation of Food Colorant Dyes: Catalyst Properties and Reaction Kinetic Study

In this work, we present three-dimensional flower-like nickel-cobalt oxide (F-NCO) nanosheets developed in a facile, eco-friendly hydrothermal route to apply as photocatalysts for food colorant Allura Red AC dye removal under light illumination. Using Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis, it was found that the F-NCO nanosheets displayed a surface area of ∼53.65 m²/g and a Barrett-Joyner-Halenda pore size of ∼14 nm, which was also confirmed by the calculated crystallite size of ∼15 nm using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. From Williamson-Hall analysis of XRD spectra, F-NCO nanosheets revealed a crystal-lattice strain of ∼3.42 × 10^-3 and a dislocation density of ∼4.397 × 10¹⁵ lines/m² in the crystal structure. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that F-NCO nanosheets accumulated to form flower-like nanostructures of <100 nm length with a d-spacing of ∼2.6 Å, which is attributed to the (311) crystallographic plane (α = γ = β = 90°, a = b = c = 8.110 Å, JCPDS No. 00-020-0781) of the cubic phase. The F-NCO nanosheets exhibited an excellent photocatalytic efficiency of ∼94.75% in ∼10 min with sodium borohydride under UV light. The Langmuir-Hinshelwood model determined pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics of dye degradation using the ln[AtA0]versus time plot. The kinetic study produced a first-order rate constant (k) of ∼0.219 min^-1, resulting in ∼3.16 min half-life (t_1/2) for the F-NCO-catalyzed degradation reaction. Thus outstanding photocatalytic performance of F-NCO nanosheets would display their huge potential for organic-pollutant removal from water with exceptional recyclability for wide research applications in the future.

Reducing the Energy Band Gap of Cobalt Hydroxide Nanosheets with Silver Atoms and Enhancing Their Electrical Conductivity with Silver Nanoparticles

Although cobalt hydroxide (Co(OH)2) has been attracting attention in several applications, its photoelectrochemical property has not yet been fully investigated. In this work, tuning the energy band gap of Co(OH)2 nanosheets with silver atoms and enhancing their electrical conductivity with silver nanoparticles were then focused. A Ag-doped α-Co(OH)2 thin film was successfully synthesized via an electrodeposition method. The optical properties of the as-prepared materials were characterized by UV-vis and fluorescence lifetime spectroscopies and further confirmed by density functional theoretical calculation. It was found that Ag atoms between adjacent layers of Co(OH)2 can reduce its electronic band gap to 2.45 eV (α-Co(OH)2) as compared to 2.85 eV of β-Co(OH)2. In terms of electrochemical properties, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) can enhance the electrical conductivity of Co(OH)2 nanosheets, leading to faster charge transfer reducing the internal resistance and significantly increasing the overall charge storage performance. Interestingly, under light illumination, Ag-doped α-Co(OH)2 exhibits ca. 0.8 times lower charge storage capacity as compared to that under the dark condition. This is because the photoelectrons can be recombined with the generated holes in the conduction band. The charge storage mechanisms of Ag-doped α-Co(OH)2 operated under dark conditions and light irradiation were further studied and confirmed using in situ electrochemical X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Overall, the in situ XAS supports the electrochemical result. This finding may pave a way to further develop photoactive advanced functional materials of metal hydroxides and oxides.