Characterization, non-isothermal decomposition kinetics and photocatalytic water splitting of green chemically synthesized polyoxoanions of molybdenum containing phosphorus as hetero atom

• CPM nanorods were synthesized by applying the principles of green chemistry.
• The isoconversional method was used to analyze the effective activation energy.
• The appropriate reaction models of the two decomposition stages were determined.
• Photocatalytic water splitting was investigated in the presence of platinum co-catalyst.

In here, the green synthesis and thermal characterization of a novel polyoxoanions of molybdenum containing phosphorus as hetero atom are reported. The composition and morphology of the nanorods were established by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopic (ICP-AES) techniques. Thermal properties of the nanoparticles were investigated by non-isothermal analysis under nitrogen atmosphere. The values activation energy of each stage of thermal decomposition for all heating rates was calculated by Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO) and Kissinger–Akahira–Sunnose (KAS) methods. Invariant kinetic parameter (IKP) method and master plot method were also used to evaluate the kinetic parameters and mechanism for the thermal decomposition of cetylpyridinium phosphomolybdate (CPM). Photocatalytic water oxidation mechanism using CPM catalyst in the presence of platinum (Pt) co-catalyst enhances the H2 evolution and was found to be 1.514 mmol/g/h.

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