The NiO/AgVO nanocomposite photocatalysts were developed by ultrasonic assisted preparation method to study the photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation. The samples were characterized by UV-DRS, XRD, FT-IR, XPS, SEM, EDX, TEM, EIS and BET analysis. The photocatalytic activity of NiO/AgVO nanocomposite for the photodegradation of 4-Nitro Phenol (4-NP) and Rose Bengal (RB) under visible light irradiation was studied and it is observed that the activity has been much higher than that of the pure AgVO. DRS spectrum shows the absorption edge of NiO-AgVO in visible region of spectrum. The formation of cubic structured NiO and orthorhombic structured AgVO was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction analysis. The results of XPS analysis confirmed the coexistence of NiO and AgVO in the NiO/AgVO composite. The specific surface area and pore structure of the prepared samples were measured by BET. Enhanced charge separation efficiency was confirmed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. The kinetics of the NiO/AgVO nanocomposite was proposed to investigate the intervened effects of NiO to AgVO on the promotion of photocatalytic property. NiO/AgVO was found to be stable and reusable without appreciable loss of catalytic activity up to four consecutive cycles. A possible electron-hole transfer mechanism at the NiO/AgVO interface is proposed. It also showed effective and efficient bactericidal activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus, Proteus and Escherichia coli bacteria. Our results provide some new insights on the performance of visible light photocatalysts on environmental remediation.
This study presents a novel method for the preparation of ZnSnO/VO nanocomposites via a sonochemical aqueous route. This method is mild, convenient, cheap and efficient. The as prepared samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, EDAX, TEM, BET, FT-IR and UV-DRS spectra. DRS spectrum shows the adsorption edge of ZnSnO-VO in visible region of spectrum. The structural and morphological features of the as synthesized ZnSnO-VO nanocomposites have been observed using both scanning and transmission electron microscopy. BET surface area analysis inferred that the prepared hetero-junctions are meso-porous in nature. The photocatalytic activity of ZnSnO-VO nanocomposites for the degradation of Eosin Yellow (EY) dye under visible light was investigated in detail. 3% ZnSnO-VO nanocomposite exhibited the highest photocatalytic performance (92% of EY degradation) when compared with 2% ZnSnO-VO and 5% ZnSnO-VO. The adsorption of Eosin Yellow followed the pseudo-first order kinetic model. Simultaneously, high stability of the sample was also investigated by four successive photodegradation of EY under visible light. The relationship between photocatalytic activity and the structure of 3% ZnSnO-VO nanocomposite is discussed, and possible reaction mechanisms are also proposed. Therefore, the facile sonochemical preparation process provides some insight into the application of ZnSnO-VO nanocomposites in photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.