Visible-Light Photocatalytic Activity of a Novel TiO2/g-C3N4/CuFe2O4 Nanocomposite in Degradation Amoxicillin, Chlorpyrifos and Methylene Blue

A novel TiO2/g-C3N4/CuFe2O4 nanocomposite is synthesized via a wet impregnation process and has been evaluated for photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants such as Amoxicillin (Antibiotic), Chlorpyrifos (Pesticide), and Methylene blue (Dye) under dark and visible light conditions in water. The synthesis and its photocatalytic characterization of nanocomposite are analyzed using XRD, FT-IR, HR-SEM, TEM, EDS, XPS, UV-Vis, DRS, PL, BET, EIS, VSM, and ESR analysis. Among the various organic pollutants analyzed using TiO2/g-C3N4/CuFe2O4 to serve as a photocatalyst, the degradation of MB pollutant was significantly greater (99.5 %, k=0.0533 min(-1)) in comparison to the degradation of the AMX (97.6 %, k=0.0346 min(-1)) and CPF (97.3 %, k=0.0340 min(-1)) during visible light irradiation for a period of 90 minutes. The recyclability is validated over three cycles, displayed its stability with 76 % degradation of pollutants and the photocatalyst is also easily separated using a simple magnet for further recycling study. As observed in the results of ESR, the formation of O-2 significantly accelerated the superoxide radical generation during the photocatalytic degradation of pollutants, enhancing degradation efficiency. It is worth highlighting that the remarkable degradation efficacy, stability and reusability exhibited by the synthesised nanocomposite prove advantageous for subsequent applications.