Enhanced photocatalytic removal of azo dye by the K3NaCo4(MoO4)6/H2O2 system

K3NaCo4(MoO4)6 photocatalyst has been prepared using a solid-state reaction method. First, its crystal structure is determined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. This material crystallizes in trigonal system, space group R3¯ (No.148) with cell parameters a = 14.434(3) Å and c = 19.811(6) Å. The crystal structure of the title compound can be described by the junction of ribbons and MoO4 tetrahedra by sharing vertices to give a three-dimensional framework in which Na+ and K+ cations are resided. Second, the as prepared sample has been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, UV–visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and EDX analysis. The SEM analysis demonstrates the presence of agglomerates with uniform nanoparticles having different crystallite sizes. FTIR and Raman spectra confirm the presence of characteristic MoO4 tetrahedra. Moreover, the optical band gap was found to be 3.5 eV. Finally, the photocatalytic removal of Acid Yellow 23 (AY-23) organic azo dye was investigated under solar light in the presence of K3NaCo4(MoO4)6 photocatalyst and H2O2. A good photocatalytic activity for the degradation of AY-23 dye has been noted with a removal rate reaching 98 % when adding H2O2 at optimum reaction. The elimination of AY-23 increased with the addition of 5 mM H2O2 concentration. The rate constant of the photocatalytic process in the K3NaCo4(MoO4)6/H2O2 system is about 1.2 × 10-1h−1.