Improved Photodegradation Behaviour of Ni1-xFexCo2O4 (x=0.03)@g-C3N4 Nanocomposite against Organic Pollutants under Visible-Light Irradiation

An effective heterojunction with robust charge separation and enormous degradation efficiency is the major task for photocatalysts preparation. In this manuscript, we have prepared the Fe0.03Ni0.97Co2O4 loaded g-C3N4 nanosheet by sol-gel assisted calcination method. The Fe dopant alters the electronic band structure of NiCo2O4 and reduces the bandgap to 1.72 eV, which is beneficial for solar-light utilization. The addition of g-C3N4 provides the large active sites for photocatalytic degradation under visible-light irradiation. Moreover, the nanocomposite exhibits high efficient charge separation behaviour than pure g-C3N4 for degradation reaction. The synergistic interaction between the nanoparticles increases the MB (methylene blue) & Rh B (rhodamine B) degradation efficiency upto 99 % and 96 % in the presence of chemical oxidant respectively. Moreover, the heterojunction exhibits Z-scheme photo-Fenton like degradation behaviour with active radicals (superoxide (O-2(-.))/ hydroxyl (OH.)) production. Besides, the recycling experiment clearly revealed that heterojunction composite has high enough degradation stability towards organic pollutant degradation.