Lacunary Keggin-Type Hetero Polyoxometalate, K7PMo2W9O39, Supported on Nano ZnO as an Efficient Photocatalyst for Degradation of Phenol in Water Solution

In the present research, Lacunary Keggin-type heteropolyoxometalate, (K7PMo2W9O39) supported on ZnO nanoparticles was prepared by the impregnation method. Nanoparticle characteristics and the remaining Keggin structure in the nanocomposites were confirmed by FT-IR and XRD analyses. The photocatalytic activity of prepared K7PMo2W9O39/ZnO for degradation of phenol under UV light was investigated.  H2O2 was used as an oxidant in the photocatalytic degradation process of phenol. The results indicated that synthesized nano photocatalyst could be considered an appropriate heterogonous photocatalyst in the removal of organic pollutants from aqueous solutions and heterogenization of Lacunary Keggin-type heteropolyoxometalate on ZnO nanoparticles resulted in the improved light absorption intensity and decreased band gap of nanocomposites. Degradation of phenol in the presence of the K7PMo2W9O39/ZnO could lead to the disappearance of approximately 93% of phenol after 60 min. But degradation for the same experiment performed in the presence of the K7PMo2W9O39 or /ZnO was less than 60% at the same time.