Engineering tremella-flake-like Co3O4 nanostructures via a facile route for enhanced photocatalysis: rapid dye degradation

Abstract

The rational design of nanostructures with a controlled morphology is a crucial strategy for enhancing photocatalytic performance. A unique tremella-flake-like Co₃O₄-P nanostructure with a high specific surface area of 210.8 m² g⁻¹ was successfully synthesized via a facile calcination method. This material demonstrated exceptional activity in peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-activated degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light, achieving 99.6% removal within 1 min with a first-order rate constant of 5.4440 min⁻¹ and a normalized rate constant of 0.0258 g min⁻¹ m⁻². In contrast, commercial Co₃O₄-M showed only 1.4% degradation under identical conditions with the corresponding constants of 0.0406 min⁻¹ and 0.0035 g min⁻¹ m⁻². Enhanced activity of Co₃O₄-P originates not only from its high surface area but also from its distinctive microporous tremella-flake-like architecture which promotes charge carrier separation, prolongs its lifetime, and offers abundant active sites for PMS activation. This work provides valuable insights for designing high-performance catalysts through morphology engineering for environmental remediation.