Rapid photocatalytic degradation of dye and energy production through ternary BiVO4/Ag/NiFe2O4 nanocomposites under visible light irradiation

In this research work Z-scheme based photocatalyst BiVO4/Ag/NiFe2O4 was prepared through the facile hydrothermal method. The morphology, structural and optical properties of the synthesized photocatalysts were investigated by SEM, XRD, PL emission and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. The experimental results showed that the ternary BiVO4/Ag/NiFe2O4 composites have a monoclinic structure, average crystallite size 40 nm, rod shape nanostructures, lowest recombination rate and absorption region is in the range of 700 nm. The effectiveness of the photocatalyst was further analyzed by the effective and rapid removal of azo dye, phenol and hydrogen evolution. The BiVO4/Ag/NiFe2O4 nanocomposite degraded 100% azo dye and phenol in only 30 min and 35 min respectively. The prepared composite BiVO4/Ag/NiFe2O4 yield hydrogen energy 452 mu molh(-1) g(-1). This composite exhibited excellent stability over the third cycle and degraded azo dye 98% in 30 min. The excellent efficiency of BiVO4/Ag/NiFe2O4 was due to the high crystallinity, small recombination rate and large absorption region. This study offers a potential route for the exploration of the photocatalytic performance of BiVO4/Ag/NiFe2O4 nanoparticles under visible light irradiation.

Automated summary

The Z-scheme based photocatalyst BiVO4/Ag/NiFe2O4 was prepared using the hydrothermal method, demonstrating excellent photocatalytic performance under visible light irradiation and effective removal of azo dye and phenol.