One-step synthesis of rod-on-plate like 1D/2D-NiMoO4/BiOI nanocomposite for an efficient visible light driven photocatalyst for pollutant degradation

Visible light active 1D/2D-NiMoO4/BiOI nanocomposite photocatalyst has been constructed by single step solvothermal method. Various compositions of NiMoO4/BiOI nanocomposites are prepared by loading different amounts of nickel molybdate (NiMoO4) (1, 2, 3 wt%) to the bismuth oxy iodide (BiOI) and investigated by XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDAX, TEM, UV-vis DRS, and PL analysis. Among the as-prepared photocatalysts, 1 wt% NiMoO4 incorporated BiOI (NMBI-1) showed superior photocatalytic activity with a rate constant of 0.0442 min(-1) for methylene blue degradation. While the bandgap values of pure BiOI and NiMoO4 are 1.94 and 2.43 eV, respectively, the optimized NMBI-1 exhibited a lower bandgap energy of 1.64 eV, and showed about 2 and 3.7 times higher photodegradation ability than the pure NiMoO4 and BiOI, respectively, towards MB removal under visible light. The NMBI-1 nanocomposite photocatalyst is stable even after four cycles, indicating an excellent photostability and recyclability. Charge carriers on the interface of NiMoO4 and BiOI easily transferred via the newly formed heterojunction, thereby increasing the photocatalytic performance. Photochemically formed h(+) and(.)OH are found to be the major species in the MB removal under visible light illumination. Therefore, the 1D/2D-NiMoO4/BiOI nanocomposite photocatalyst materials may be considered for the wastewater remediation processes.