Fabrication of dual functional 3D-flower shaped NaYF4:Dy3+/Eu3+ and graphene oxide based NaYF4:Dy3+/Eu3+ nanocomposite material as a potable luminescence sensor and photocatalyst for environmental pharmaceutical pollutant nitrofurazone in aquatic medium

The existence of improper pharmaceutical contaminants in water bodies has endangered the environment and human health worldwide, which makes it ineludible to develop potential dual-functional nanomaterials that not only possess an exceptional luminescence capability but also exhibit simultaneous photodegradation efficiency towards hazardous pharmaceutical residues. Herein, we describe a Dy3+/Eu3+ co-doped NaYF4 (NP) nanostructure and a NP@GO anchored nanocomposite, effectively synthesized via a hydrothermal approach. The as-prepared NP and NP@GO nanostructures were subjected to structural, morphological and compositional characterizations. Interestingly, due to its superior fluorescence behavior, the synthesized Dy3+/Eu3+ co-doped NaYF4 (NP) nanophosphor was screened for turn off sensing of the pharmaceutical drug nitrofurazone (NFZ) in aqueous medium via the FRET approach. The as-designed sensor displayed an excellent luminescence turnoff response with a low limit of detection (LOD and high Stern Volmer quenching constant (Ksv)). Most importantly, the Dy3+/Eu3+ co-doped NaYF4 nanosensor exhibits exceptional selectivity towards NFZ with influential anti-interference behavior. In addition, NP and the NP@GO nanocomposite were used for the photodegradation of NFZ. The NP@GO nanocomposite demonstrated significant photocatalytic efficiency for the degradation of NFZ. Within 40 min of solar irradiation, the degradation efficiency of NP and the NP@GO nanocomposite towards NFZ was determined to be 52.4% and 97.5%, respectively. Moreover, the as-synthesized nanocomposite system demonstrated outstanding recyclability for almost three consecutive cycles. Overall, this work outlines a feasible strategy for immediate detection and photocatalytic degradation of NFZ in aqueous medium by employing Dy3+/Eu3+ co-doped NaYF4 (NP) and NP@GO as a potential dual mode nanomaterial.