A Hybrid Z-Scheme Heterojunction Using GQD, g-C3N5, and NiCo LDH for Rhodamine B Degradation under Visible Light Irradiation

A Hybrid Z-Scheme Heterojunction Using GQD, g-C3N5, and NiCo LDH for Rhodamine B Degradation under Visible Light Irradiation | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article A Hybrid Z-Scheme Heterojunction Using GQD, g-C3N5, and NiCo LDH for Rhodamine B Degradation under Visible Light Irradiation Nahla S Salman, Majida Hameed Khazaal, Hadeel A. Khayoon, Farah Safi Khliwi, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7502444/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 20 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in Environmental Science and Pollution Research → Version 1 posted 6 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Degradation of organic pollutants in aquatic environments is crucial because of the importance of environmental preservation and maintenance of cleanliness. Despite the existence of numerous methods for degrading organic pollutants, photocatalysts have garnered significant attention from researchers in the fields of chemistry and environmental science owing to their numerous advantages. In this study, a highly attractive ternary nanocomposite composed of GQD (graphene quantum dot)/g-C 3 N 5 /NiCo LDH (layered double hydroxide), synthesized by combining hydrothermal and ultrasonic techniques, was employed as a light-active catalyst for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB), a highly harmful pollutant to water and the environment. Several techniques, including FESEM, TEM, FTIR, XRD, EDS, XPS, and UV-Vis DRS, were used to characterize the produced materials. Under optimal conditions of pH 7 and a catalyst dosage of 0.15 g/L, the system is capable of degrading 98.9% of RhB within 90 minutes. The key parameters influencing the degradation of this pollutant, such as the effects of pH, catalyst dosage, and initial pollutant concentration, were investigated and optimized. Additionally, pollutant degradation percentages and rates were examined. Finally, the overall degradation mechanism and scavengers influencing the photocatalytic degradation process were analyzed. The findings showed that a key factor in the photocatalytic degradation of RhB is superoxide radicals. Our findings demonstrate that a dual Z-scheme system of GQD/g-C 3 N 5 /NiCo LDH effectively degrades RhB. Graphene quantum dots carbon nitride with high nitrogen content NiCo LDH Degradation Rhodamine B Full Text Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 20 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in Environmental Science and Pollution Research → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Major Revision 17 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Oct, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 23 Oct, 2025 Editor invited by journal 02 Oct, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 16 Sep, 2025 First submitted to journal 11 Sep, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7502444","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":534135348,"identity":"6e7750ec-3a55-4c61-897b-e52fd3ff9362","order_by":0,"name":"Nahla S Salman","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Chemistry, College of Education, University of Al-Qadisiyah, Al Diwaniyah 58001, Iraq","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nahla","middleName":"S","lastName":"Salman","suffix":""},{"id":534135349,"identity":"ae5a8e5e-0d11-4d08-85c4-8ebd1ffe969a","order_by":1,"name":"Majida Hameed Khazaal","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Education for Girls, University of Kufa, Najaf 540011, Iraq","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Majida","middleName":"Hameed","lastName":"Khazaal","suffix":""},{"id":534135350,"identity":"c2696e91-cf09-4fa1-96fe-b58820fe3faa","order_by":2,"name":"Hadeel A. 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16:09:12","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1990366,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7502444/v1_covered_60a3235e-0f9e-45ec-86b8-7d894651c5c1.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"A Hybrid Z-Scheme Heterojunction Using GQD, g-C3N5, and NiCo LDH for Rhodamine B Degradation under Visible Light Irradiation","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":true,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"environmental-science-and-pollution-research","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"espr","sideBox":"Learn more about [Environmental Science and Pollution Research](https://www.springer.com/journal/11356)","snPcode":"11356","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/11356/3","title":"Environmental Science and Pollution Research","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Graphene quantum dots, carbon nitride with high nitrogen content, NiCo LDH, Degradation, Rhodamine B","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7502444/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7502444/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eDegradation of organic pollutants in aquatic environments is crucial because of the importance of environmental preservation and maintenance of cleanliness. Despite the existence of numerous methods for degrading organic pollutants, photocatalysts have garnered significant attention from researchers in the fields of chemistry and environmental science owing to their numerous advantages. In this study, a highly attractive ternary nanocomposite composed of GQD (graphene quantum dot)/g-C\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003eN\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e/NiCo LDH (layered double hydroxide), synthesized by combining hydrothermal and ultrasonic techniques, was employed as a light-active catalyst for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB), a highly harmful pollutant to water and the environment. Several techniques, including FESEM, TEM, FTIR, XRD, EDS, XPS, and UV-Vis DRS, were used to characterize the produced materials. Under optimal conditions of pH 7 and a catalyst dosage of 0.15 g/L, the system is capable of degrading 98.9% of RhB within 90 minutes. The key parameters influencing the degradation of this pollutant, such as the effects of pH, catalyst dosage, and initial pollutant concentration, were investigated and optimized. Additionally, pollutant degradation percentages and rates were examined. Finally, the overall degradation mechanism and scavengers influencing the photocatalytic degradation process were analyzed. The findings showed that a key factor in the photocatalytic degradation of RhB is superoxide radicals. Our findings demonstrate that a dual Z-scheme system of GQD/g-C\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003eN\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e/NiCo LDH effectively degrades RhB.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"A Hybrid Z-Scheme Heterojunction Using GQD, g-C3N5, and NiCo LDH for Rhodamine B Degradation under Visible Light Irradiation","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-11-04 19:21:58","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7502444/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Major Revision","date":"2026-02-18T01:34:35+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"","date":"2025-10-23T19:40:26+00:00","index":0,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-10-23T19:18:00+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"Environmental Science and Pollution Research","date":"2025-10-02T15:31:32+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-09-16T05:43:41+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Environmental Science and Pollution Research","date":"2025-09-11T06:56:16+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"environmental-science-and-pollution-research","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"espr","sideBox":"Learn more about [Environmental Science and Pollution Research](https://www.springer.com/journal/11356)","snPcode":"11356","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/11356/3","title":"Environmental Science and Pollution Research","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"9094b8aa-44eb-473b-9c95-724d282d7093","owner":[],"postedDate":"November 4th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-27T16:06:49+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-7502444","link":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-026-37766-0","journal":{"identity":"environmental-science-and-pollution-research","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Environmental Science and Pollution Research"},"publishedOn":"2026-04-20 15:58:12","publishedOnDateReadable":"April 20th, 2026"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-11-04 19:21:58","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1007/s11356-026-37766-0","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-026-37766-0","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7502444","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7502444","identity":"rs-7502444","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}