Scalable Green Method to Fabricate Magnetically Separable NiFe2O4-Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites with Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance Driven by Visible Light

A reduced graphene oxide (RGO)-supported nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) photocatalyst was prepared by a simple mechanical ball-milling method. No additional solvents, toxic chemical reductants, or ultrasonic or high-temperature heat treatments were needed. The exfoliation and reduction of graphite oxide (GO) and the in situ anchoring of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles on graphene sheets were fulfilled simultaneously under the strong shear force. The structure characterization shows that the NiFe2O4 nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed on RGO sheets. Amazingly, after coupling with an appropriate amount of RGO, the photocatalytically inert NiFe2O4 exhibited superior photodegradation performance and recycling stability for the degradation of organic pollutant under visible-light irradiation at room temperature. It suggested that the synergistic effect between RGO and NiFe2O4 improved the photocatalytic performance of the composite. Moreover, the NiFe2O4-RGO is magnetically separable for recycling. Hopefully, this work could shed light on the environment-friendly large-scale production of graphene-based composites through the efficient ball-milling method.