Sonophotocatalytic degradation of organic pollutant under visible light over Pt decorated CeO₂: Role of ultrasonic waves for unprecedented degradation

Sonophotocatalysis is an innovative energy transfer technique proposed to produce solar energy and environmental remediation. Herein, we designed platinum (Pt) decorated CeO₂ and applied it as sonophotocatalyst for pollutant degradation. Sonophotocatalytic activity of the as-prepared Pt/CeO₂ nanocomposite was carried out at 40 kHz frequency ultrasonic waves under visible light irradiation. The sonophotocatalytic degradation efficiency of Acid Red 17 over Pt/CeO₂ nanocomposite is much higher when compared to photocatalytic degradation. This unprecedented sonophotoactivity is credited to ultrasonic waves that generate additional OH^• free radicals by scavengers test. The effect of various operational conditions like pH, amount of catalyst, and concentration of acid red 17 dye were also studied. More intriguingly, the sonophotoactivity of the optimized amount remains high and almost unchanged for up to four cycles, indicating the stability of the sonophotocatalyst. This steady progress has exemplified that Pt/CeO₂ nanocomposites are playing and will continue to play an indispensable role in solar energy production and environmental remediation.