Research Progress on Graphene Oxide/Metal Oxide-Based Sonophotocatalytic Materials for the Degradation of Refractory Organic Pollutants

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jiem.202603211

Author(s)

Mengwei Zhang

Affiliation(s)

School of Materials and Chemistry, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, Henan, China

Abstract

As an important branch of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), sonophotocatalytic coupling technology demonstrates irreplaceable advantages in the deep treatment of refractory organic pollutants through the multi-dimensional synergy between ultrasonic cavitation and photocatalysis, and has become a frontier topic in environmental engineering. Graphene oxide (GO) serves as an ideal support for constructing high-performance sonophotocatalytic composites due to its ultrahigh specific surface area, excellent electron mobility, abundant surface oxygen-containing groups, and strong adsorption capacity. This paper systematically reviews the synergistic mechanisms of sonophotocatalytic systems, with emphasis on the preparation methods, microstructure regulation, and sonophotocatalytic degradation performance of typical metal oxide/GO composites, including NiO/GO and CuO/GO. The generation pathways of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the separation and migration of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and the quantitative calculation of synergy factors are thoroughly discussed. Studies show that the combination of GO with NiO, CuO, and other metal oxides effectively suppresses the recombination of photogenerated carriers via interfacial interactions, enhances mass transfer at the solid-liquid interface, and significantly improves the degradation efficiency and cycling stability toward typical refractory organic dyes such as rhodamine B and methyl orange. Finally, the existing challenges in the practical application of GO/metal oxide-based sonophotocatalytic materials are analyzed, and future development directions are prospected from the perspectives of material design, mechanism research, and process optimization. This review aims to provide theoretical guidance and experimental references for the rational design, controllable synthesis, and engineering application of high-efficiency sonophotocatalysts.

Keywords

Sonophotocatalysis; Graphene Oxide; Metal Oxide; Refractory Organic Pollutants; Synergistic Effect; Reactive Oxygen Species

References

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