University of Kashan Journal of Nanostructures 2251-7871 14 3 2024 07 01 Copper Bismuth Oxide/rGO Nanocomposite: Sonochemical Synthesis, Characterization, and Photocatalytic Performance in Dibenzothiophene Desulfurization 729 740 114428 10.22052/JNS.2024.03.004 EN Mohammad Reza Tahmasbi Department of Nanotechnology, Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran Mehdi Mousavi-Kamazani Department of Nanotechnology, Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran Narjes Keramati Department of Nanotechnology, Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran Journal Article 2024 04 26 Desulfurization of petroleum derivatives is a topic of interest to researchers because compounds containing sulfur are harmful in the oil refining process and cause problems such as deactivation of catalysts and corrosion in pipelines and refining equipment. In order to improve the efficiency of desulfurization of dibenzothiophene, copper bismuth oxide/reduced graphene oxide (Bi7.38Cu0.62O11.69/rGO) nanocomposite was synthesized by a simple sonochemical method for the first time. The synthesized nanocomposite was identified by FESEM, FT-IR, XRD, DRS, and EDS analyses. Based on XRD analysis, pure copper bismuth oxide is formed using hydrazine, while using sodium hydroxide does not lead to the desired product. FESEM images showed that the size of Bi7.38Cu0.62O11.69 particles decreases in the presence of rGO. The desulfurization results showed that the presence of rGO causes a significant increase in efficiency due to increased light absorption and reduced recombination rate, so that Bi7.38Cu0.62O11.69/rGO nanocomposite has an efficiency of 87%, while pure Bi7.38Cu0.62O11.69 has an efficiency of 68%. Also, it was found that the purity of the copper bismuth oxide has a great effect on the photocatalytic efficiency, so that by calcining the product and removing the impurities, the efficiency increases from 55% to 68%. https://jns.kashanu.ac.ir/article_114428_15284e065305916746f8675ca6b8541c.pdf