Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are a class of persistent organic water pollutants that raise serious concerns owing to their carcinogenicity and other negative impacts on humans and ecosystems. In this study, Bi 2 MoO 6 /reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposites were designed and prepared for the adsorption-assisted photodegradation of naphthalene molecules in an aqueous medium. The synthesized Bi 2 MoO 6 nanoplates and Bi 2 MoO 6 /rGO nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet spectroscopy, Brunauer−Emmett−Teller, and photoluminescence measurements. The photodegradation of naphthalene molecules was observed to assess the photocatalytic characteristics of the samples under visible light. The Bi 2 MoO 6 /rGO nanocomposites exhibited significantly improved photocatalytic efficiency compared to pure Bi 2 MoO 6 . Among the nanocomposites, those containing 2 wt % rGO showed the best photocatalytic activity. The incorporation of rGO enhanced the visible light absorption and decreased the recombination rate of photogenerated charge carriers. Moreover, a Bi 2 MoO 6 /rGO nanocomposite showed excellent reusability for five cycles.
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