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Lead Sulphide Nanoparticles as Photocatalyst for the Degradation of Methylene Blue: Effects of pH, Time, Adsorption Kinetics and Recyclability Studies

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Abstract

We report the synthesis and morphological studies of lead sulphide nanoparticles prepared from lead(II) complexes of morpholine dithiocarbamate (PbS1), thiomorpholine dithiocarbamate (PbS2), and N-(2-hydroxyethyl)phenyl dithiocarbamate (PbS3). Powder X-ray diffraction patterns (p-XRD) of the PbS nanoparticles are indexed to face-centered cubic phase of PbS. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) micrograph revealed quasi-spherical PbS nanoparticles with particle size in the range 13.86–36.06 nm while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed flaky/spherical/rough surface morphology. Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye by the PbS nanoparticles showed degradation efficiency of 72.6 % for PbS1, 75.9 % for PbS2, and 47.4 % for PbS3. The photodegradation efficiency shows a correlation between efficiency and morphological properties. Total organic content removal by PbS2 is 69.5 % while that of PbS1 is 64.2 % and PbS3 is 40.1 %. The as-prepared PbS nanoparticles exhibited remarkable photostability in the recyclability studies.

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Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate the financial support of the National Research Foundation (NRF) South Africa.

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  1. School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

    Peter A. Ajibade, Thandi B. Mbuyazi & Abimbola E. Oluwalana

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  1. Peter A. Ajibade
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Correspondence to Peter A. Ajibade.

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Ajibade, P.A., Mbuyazi, T.B. & Oluwalana, A.E. Lead Sulphide Nanoparticles as Photocatalyst for the Degradation of Methylene Blue: Effects of pH, Time, Adsorption Kinetics and Recyclability Studies. J Inorg Organomet Polym 31, 2197–2208 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10904-021-01957-8

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