Synthesis of boron doped C3N4/NiFe2O4 nanocomposite: An enhanced visible light photocatalyst for the degradation of methylene blue

In this paper, we report the synthesis of boron doped C3N4/NiFe2O4 nanocomposite and its application as a visible-light photocatalyst for the degradation of methylene blue (MB). Boron-doped C3N4 (BCN) was prepared by simple thermal condensation of dicyandiamide with boric acid, and NiFe2O4 nanoparticles were prepared by the simple sol-gel method. The as-synthesized nanocomposite materials were characterized and confirmed by the X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, UV-Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of BCN/NiFe2O4 nanocomposite was evaluated towards the degradation of MB in the presence of visible light irradiation. The obtained results confirmed that BCN/NiFe2O4 composite has higher degradation efficiency (98%) than that of BCN and NiFe2O4.