Surfactant assisted wet chemical synthesis of Cu doped NiO@CNF nanocomposites and their photocatalytic behaviour in degrading brilliant green dye under UV light irradiation

This manuscript details the synthesis of pure NiO and various concentrations of Cu-doped NiO using a simple coprecipitation method, with particular amount of carbon nanoflake (CNF) loading. The prepared materials were initially characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy with EDAX, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray. Further, UV-diffusion reflectance spectra studies were conducted to explore the optical properties of the prepared nanocomposites. XPS was utilized to explore the surface chemical states and interactions. The XRD pattern analysis revealed that both pure NiO and Cu-doped NiO nanoparticles (NPs) exhibited a face-centered cubic structure. Subsequently, the photocatalytic efficiency of the synthesized samples was evaluated for the degradation of the organic pollutant like brilliant green (BG) under UV light irradiation. Significantly, 30 mol % Cu-doped NiO@CNF nanocomposite demonstrated an enhanced photocatalytic efficiency (97 %) in degrading BG dye when compared to doped oxide materials under UV light. Moreover, the stability of the catalyst was outstanding, and it was effectively reused for five consecutive cycles.