Fabrication of Curcuma longa mediated novel Ni@ZnO/MoO3 composite anchored with g-C3N4 for sunlight driven photocatalytic activity

Abstract

The extreme toxicity, genotoxicity, and carcinogenicity of Azure B in the aquatic environment have drawn attention to grow solar-driven techniques using effective photocatalysts for environment friendly remediation. We created Ni@ZnO/MoO3 z-scheme type structures supported on g-C3N4 photocatalyst by the sonochemically assisted biochemical method using Curcuma longa leaf extract. Structural, morphological, and surface features were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), FTIR, UV–Visible, SEM/EDX, HR-TEM, XPS, and BET for surface analysis. Results indicated that MoO3 nanoplates and Ni@ZnO nanorods are beautifully oriented and interconnected, and these two crystalline materials are wrapped with a stacked layer of g-C3N4 which developed the proper charge flow resulting in the enhanced photo-assisted catalytic performance of the composite. Ternary composite has a large surface area as well as pore volume which automatically increased active site on the surface which enhanced photoactivity. In comparison to the g-C3N4 and Ni@ZnO/MoO3 composite, the Ni@ZnO/MoO3/g-C3N4 ternary nanocomposite displayed superior photocatalytic efficiency for the degradation of Azure B (AzB). Recyclability study showed its prolonged reusability. At optimized conditions, the photodegradation of AzB by ternary composite exhibited pseudo-first-order kinetics with the rate constant value of 0.074 min−1. It is found that h+ and •-O2are the active species for the photodegradation of AzB. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.