Bi2MoO6 nanofilms on the stainless steel mesh by PS-PED method: Photocatalytic degradation of diclofenac sodium as a pharmaceutical pollutant.

For the first time, Bi2MoO6 nanofilms were successfully synthesized by simultaneous pulse sonication-pulse electrodeposition (PS-PED) on the stainless steel mesh surface. Bismuth molybdate films were formed under various combinations of electrodeposition and sonication (sono-electrodeposition) in continuous and pulse modes. Porous Bi2MoO6 films synthesized by PS-PED method and showed the highest efficiency in photocatalytic degradation in comparison with other films. Bi2MoO6 film obtained from PS-PED had a thickness of 13.78 nm while, the thickness for the electrodeposition method was 39.52 nm. The high photocatalytic efficiency is attributed to the high surface roughness and low thickness of film synthesized by PS-PED method. Indeed, ultrasound played a key role in the synthesis of films with high surface roughness. On the other hand, shock waves and micro-jets could be dissolved diffusion problems and reduced the dendrite like structures in deposition process. Simultaneous application of pulse modes for both combined methods led to more growth of crystallographic planes. This is due to reaction of ions on the surface in interval relaxation times and produce more nuclei for growth. In order to obtain a high efficiency, response surface methodology was used for optimization of effective variable parameters (ton, toff and sonication amplitude) in film preparation.