Ba₃(PO₄)₂ Photocatalyst for Efficient Photocatalytic Application

Abstract

Abstract Barium phosphate (Ba 3 (PO 4 ) 2 ) is a class of material that has attracted significant attention thanks to its chemical stability and versatility. However, the use of Ba 3 (PO 4 ) 2 as a photocatalyst is scarcely reported, and its use as a photocatalyst has yet to be reported. Herein, Ba 3 (PO 4 ) 2 nanoflakes synthesis is optimized using sol‐gel and hydrothermal methods. The as‐prepared Ba 3 (PO 4 ) 2 powders are investigated using physicochemical characterizations, including XRD, SEM, EDX, FTIR, DRS, J – t , LSV, Mott‐Schottky, and EIS. In addition, DFT calculations are performed to investigate the band structure. The oxidation capability of the photocatalysts is investigated depending on the synthesis method using rhodamine B (RhB) as a pollutant model. Both Ba 3 (PO 4 ) 2 samples prepared by the sol‐gel and hydrothermal methods display high RhB photodegradation of 79% and 68%, respectively. The Ba 3 (PO 4 ) 2 obtained using the sol‐gel process exhibits much higher stability under light excitation after four regeneration cycles. The photocatalytic oxidation mechanism is proposed based on the active species trapping experiments where O 2 •‒ is the most reactive species. The finding shows the promising potential of Ba 3 (PO 4 ) 2 photocatalysts and opens the door for further investigation and application in various photocatalytic applications.