α-Fe2O3 Nanoparticles Decorated NrGO/g-C3N4 Heterostructure Photocatalyst Towards Environmental Applications

Abstract

As wastewater contaminants, carcinogenic heavy metals and aromatic organic compounds remain, posing a serious threat to the ecological equilibrium. The photocatalytic process is a new technique that can help tackle these pollution problems. The present study demonstrates the fabrication the synthesis NrGO/g-C3N4/α-Fe2O3 (NGCF) nanocomposite for Cr(VI) photoreduction and 2,4-Dinitrophenol photodegradation. Apart from that, the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity of the produced nanocomposites was examined under visible light irradiation. The physicochemical activity (XRD, Raman, UV-Vis DRS, PL, FESEM, HRTEM, and FTIR) of the synthesized NGCF was assessed, demonstrating the formation of ternary heterojunction nanocomposites. Among all the nanocomposites NrGO/g-C3N4/-Fe2O3-10 nanocomposite shows the best photocatalytic activity. As a result, the fabricated NGCF nanocomposite could be a useful photocatalyst for eliminating both organic and inorganic contaminants from water. Raman and XPS measurements validated the nitrogen doping in reduced graphene oxide. The trapping experiment was repeated in order to determine the primary reactive species involved in the photocatalytic reaction as well as the reaction's plausible mechanism. The detailed study of the characterization and photocatalytic application of these synthesized photocatalyst will be present in the conference.