Photocatalytic evaluation of Abelmoschus esculentus L. fruit extract capped vanadium pentoxide nanoparticles for methylene blue degradation

Different crystalline structures, atomic orientations, band gap arrangements and rapid interconversion into multi-oxidation state enables the vanadium pentoxide to exhibit excellent intercalation properties to host-guest molecules enhancing sunlight utilization for the degradation of organic pollutants. Here, okra extract capped vanadium pentoxide nano-catalyst possessing optical band gap of 2.23 eV utilize the broad spectrum irradiated visible light for the degradation of methylene blue under natural conditions. Capped vanadium pentoxide nanoparticles degrade the dye via. first order kinetics and follows Langmuir-Hinshelwood model possessing 9.9 mins half life time and 0.07 min −1 rate constant for the degradation. Fabricated nanoparticles had been utilized upto three cycles, exhibiting 99% degradation in first 90 mins for the first go. By taking into account the degradation process in the presence and absence of different scavengers, active species responsible for the degradation and mechanism involved has been elucidated. Degradation efficiency decreases to 25.78% after scavenging superoxide radical, establishing it as a major active specie involved in the degradation process.