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WO3–NiO/rGO Based Photocatalyst for Effectively Degradation of Colored and Colorless Pollutants Using Solar Light Irradiation

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Abstract

In this study, the precipitation and sonication methods were used to fabricate WO3–NiO/rGO nanohybrid. The structural, spectral and optical characteristics of the as-synthesized samples were confirmed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and UV–Visible spectroscopy. In comparison to pure WO3, NiO and WO3–NiO, WO3–NiO/rGO nanohybrid demonstrated increased photocatalytic degradation activity for rhodamine B and methylene blue under solar light irradiation. The percent degradation values for WO3, NiO, WO3–NiO and WO3–NiO/rGO nanohybrid for methylene blue were 64%, 81%, 86% and 95%, and for rhodamine B were 58%, 80%, 92% and 96%. The lower recombination of photo-generated holes and electrons as a result of the creation of a heterojunction between WO3 and NiO and the improved optical bandgap energy of WO3-NiO nanocomposite and its hybrid with rGO are the potential causes of this enhanced photocatalytic degradation. WO3–NiO/rGO nanohybrid demonstrated outstanding photocatalytic performance and positioned itself as a viable candidate in the catalysis industry.

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Funding

The authors express their gratitude to Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project number (PNURSP2024R326), Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh, 11671, Saudi Arabia

    Beriham Basha

  2. Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Islamic University of Madinah, Madinah, 42351, Saudi Arabia

    Imran Shakir

  3. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, USA

    Imran Shakir

  4. Department of Physics, College of Science, Jouf University, P.O. Box: 2014, Sakaka, Saudi Arabia

    Z. A. Alrowaili

  5. Department of Physics, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey

    M. S. Al-Buriahi

  6. Institute of Chemistry, Baghdad-ul-Jadeed Campus, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, 63100, Pakistan

    Mamoona Anwar, Sheraz Yousaf & Muhammad Farooq Warsi

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  1. Beriham Basha
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Contributions

BB: all experimental work. IS: contribution to writing the first draft. ZAA: edit and review. MSAl-B: edit and review. MA: catalysis data interpretation. SY: structural analysis. MFW: management of the entire project.

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Correspondence to Sheraz Yousaf or Muhammad Farooq Warsi.

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Basha, B., Shakir, I., Alrowaili, Z.A. et al. WO3–NiO/rGO Based Photocatalyst for Effectively Degradation of Colored and Colorless Pollutants Using Solar Light Irradiation. J Inorg Organomet Polym (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10904-024-03001-x

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