Efficient visible light photocatalytic activitiy of tetranitro substituted cobalt phthalocyanines–attapulgite hybrid materials fabricated by ultrasonic impregnation method

The tetranitro substituted cobalt phthalocyanines–attapulgite (CoTNPc–ATP) hybrid materials were fabricated by an ultrasonic impregnation method. The as-prepared photocatalysts were characterized by UV–vis spectrum, scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), FT-IR spectra and fluorescence analysis. The photocatalytic activity of the CoTNPc–ATP hybrid materials was evaluated by the degradation of MG (Malachite Green) under visible light irradiation. The results showed that the CoTNPc–ATP hybrid materials exhibited significantly excellent photocatalytic activities under visible light irradiation. It was found that using attapulgite as the support for immobilization of phthalocyanine could improve the photocatalytic performance due to preventing the aggregation of phthalocyanine and increasing the catalytic active sites. Furthermore, the photocatalytic mechanism of CoTNPc–ATP hybrid materials was also discussed.