ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Oxygen vacancies mediated electrons transfer for the degradation of organic pollutants in UV/layered double oxides/thiourea dioxide

Mengxia Dai, Chaoyang Wang, Yashan Wang, Ran Zhang, and Feifei Chen

Hubei Key Laboratory of Biomass Fibers and Eco-Dyeing and Finishing, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan, China

E-mail: chff1977@163.com

Received: 2 December 2024  Accepted: 24 March 2025

Abstract:

Due to the increasing deterioration of the aqueous environment caused by various organic dyes, the development of highly efficient novel photocatalysts has become urgent. This study designed a novel UV/layered double oxides (LDO)/thiourea dioxide (TD) system based on UV-assisted advanced reduction processes to achieve efficient and cost-effective degradation of methyl orange (MO). The experimental results exhibited that 99.7% of 50 mg/L MO was completely degraded in UV/LDO/TD within 20 min at 25 °C and pH 10. During the decomposition of TD, highly reductive e_aq⁻, SO₂²⁻ and H· were generated, and in the presence of dissolved oxygen simultaneously produced oxidizing species such as O₂^·−, OH·, and ¹O₂. Oxygen vacancies of LDO not only activated TD but also acted as an electron shuttle to transfer electrons from TD to MO. Non-radical degradation pathways, including ¹O₂ and electron transfer process, dominated the degradation of MO. The degradation efficiency of MO remained at 93.2% after 5 cycles, demonstrating the excellent reusability of LDO in the UV/LDO/TD system. This study provided new insights into LDO-activated TD under UV irradiation for environmental remediation. It highlighted the commercial potential of the UV/LDO/TD system for sustainable, scalable removal of organic dyes from industrial wastewater.

Keywords: Deoxy Sugar; Graphene Oxide; Metal Oxides; Photocatalysis; Photobiology; UV-Visible Spectroscopy; Advanced reduction process; Layered double oxides; Oxygen vacancy; Thiourea dioxide

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-025-04036-1

Chemical Papers 79 (6) 3839–3855 (2025)