Improved Photodegradation Behaviour of Ni1‐xFexCo2O4 (x=0.03)@g‐C3N4 Nanocomposite against Organic Pollutants under Visible‐Light Irradiation

Abstract An effective heterojunction with robust charge separation and enormous degradation efficiency is the major task for photocatalysts preparation. In this manuscript, we have prepared the Fe 0.03 Ni 0.97 Co 2 O 4 loaded g‐C 3 N 4 nanosheet by sol‐gel assisted calcination method. The Fe dopant alters the electronic band structure of NiCo 2 O 4 and reduces the bandgap to 1.72 eV, which is beneficial for solar‐light utilization. The addition of g‐C 3 N 4 provides the large active sites for photocatalytic degradation under visible‐light irradiation. Moreover, the nanocomposite exhibits high efficient charge separation behaviour than pure g‐C 3 N 4 for degradation reaction. The synergistic interaction between the nanoparticles increases the MB (methylene blue) & Rh B (rhodamine B) degradation efficiency upto 99 % and 96 % in the presence of chemical oxidant respectively. Moreover, the heterojunction exhibits Z‐scheme photo‐Fenton like degradation behaviour with active radicals (superoxide (O 2 −. )/ hydroxyl (OH . )) production. Besides, the recycling experiment clearly revealed that heterojunction composite has high enough degradation stability towards organic pollutant degradation.