Light-assisted synergistic effect of Zn-MOF@rGO nanocomposite for methylene blue degradation and toxicity analysis to water reclamation
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Date
2025
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Abstract
Integrating reduced graphene oxide (rGO) onto nanostructured Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offers a
transformative strategy to amplify light harvesting in photocatalysis, suppressing charge carrier recombination
and thus enhancing degradation processes. In this work, we develop a hybrid material (PUC-8@rGO) by
incorporating rGO sheets onto Zn-MOF (PUC-8). The crystals of PUC-8 were prepared using the solvothermal
method, and the nanocomposite material was synthesized using the wet-impregnation procedure. To measure the
photocatalytic activity, prepared samples were utilized to degrade the methylene blue (MB) dye on exposure to
visible light. Several factors affecting photocatalytic activity were examined, including pH, amount of dye,
catalyst dosage and irradiation time to optimize photocatalysis. Remarkably, PUC-8@rGO exhibits an unprec
edented 7 to 8-fold rate increase constant compared to PUC-8 and rGO, credited to its augmented BET surface
area and a narrow band gap, which effectively prolongs electron-hole (e
/h
+
) recombination. Degradation
pathway and intermediate product analysis were done using the LC-MS technique. The BOD (biological oxygen
demand) and COD (chemical oxygen demand) levels in the water significantly reduced following treatment with
PUC-8@rGO, falling within permissible limits for environmentally safe discharge. Furthermore, seed germination
assays attest to low phytotoxicity, endorsing treated water for crop irrigation. Encouragingly, PUC-8@rGO
displays potent cytotoxicity (IC
50
= 0.125 mg/mL) against the human ovarian cancer cell line, SKOV3 as
compared to HaCat (non-tumerous) cells (IC
50
= 0.25 mg/mL), holding promising biomedical implications.