Synthesis of doped and porous CuO with boosted light-harvesting features for the photocatalytic mineralization of azo dyes

Porous Ni-doped copper oxide (NCO) photocatalyst has been produced using chemical activation and metal doping techniques. Structural, optical, morphological, and electrical analyses were performed on copper oxide (CO) and porous NCO photocatalysts. The monoclinic-phased, UV/Vis light-triggered, electrically conductive, and porous-surfaced NCO photocatalyst was successfully synthesized, according to a detailed physicochemical investigation. The photo-decomposition abilities of synthetic porous NCO and counterpart CO photocatalysts were investigated and compared using Allura red (AR). According to the photocatalytic study, the porous NCO photocatalyst outperformed its counterpart (CuO) and eliminated 91.4% (adsorption: 18%; decomposition: 79%) of the AR dye in 48 min. Over the porous NCO photocatalyst, the AR dye disintegrated at a rate of 0.024 min−1, which is more than 1.84 times quicker than the rate of disintegration over the CO photocatalyst. The porous NCO photocatalyst, as synthesized, preserved 88% of its photocatalytic activity after five recyclability tests and had remarkable electron-hole separation activity, according to reusability tests and transient-photocurrent measurements. Also, the radical capture experiment suggested that superoxide and hydroxyl are important for porous NCO's photocatalytic activity. According to the findings of this research, the synthesis of ferromagnetic metal-doped and porous semiconductive materials has a great potential for azo dye breakdown, which makes it an efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally acceptable solution for the clean-up of polluted water.