Palladium nanoparticle formation on boron nitride nanotubes and their photocatalytic performance with visible light

Development of efficient but long-term stable photocatalysts for removal of organic pollutants from water sources is still a huge challenge up to date. In this study, palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) were dispersed on the surface of boron nitride nanotube (BNNT), a series of Pd@BNNT hybrid was synthesized using a one-step and cost-effective ultrasonication method, and the photocatalytic performance were investigated. By increasing the ultrasonication time, productivity of the Pd NPs on BNNT was increased and also obtained the uniform nanostructure, thereby enhancing the specific surface area, which is the promising attribute for the efficient removal of organic pollutants. In this regard, the Pd@BNNT3 hybrid shows higher photocatalytic performance with respect to other catalysts against the crystal violet and levofloxacin, 97.6%/50 min, and 97.7%/40 min respectively. Further, a reusability test was conducted for the Pd@BNNT3 hybrid by using the CV over seven consecutive cycles. Approximately, 24.7% photocatalytic efficiency was lost in the final catalytic activity owing to its particle loss (7.2%). Significantly, the structure of the Pd@BNNT3 catalyst did not change even after measuring the reusability seven times, suggesting that the catalyst has a stable morphology. The enhanced photocatalytic performance is attributed to the larger specific surface area (128 m2/g) of Pd@BNNT3 hybrid, which enhance the production of the visible light induced radical oxygen species. As a summary, the efficient photocatalyst developed in this study can eliminating the organic contaminants from the wastewater source and is a highly promising solution for tackling wastewater treatment challenges in the near future.