Effectiveness of Ag@NiO@g-C3N4 photocatalysts: Green fabrication and superior photocatalysis capability

Abstract

A novel nanocomposite material, Ag@NiO@g-C3N4, was synthesized using ultrasonic irradiation with Ag@NiO as precursor materials. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the formation of g-C3N4 and anatase Ag@NiO phases within the nanocomposite. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging revealed the deposition of Ag@NiO nanoparticles onto g-C3N4 layers. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) verified the presence of C, N, O, Ni, and Ag in the nanocomposite. The synthesized nanocomposite exhibited a significantly increased surface area of 94.705 m2/g and a reduced energy band gap of 3.07 eV. The photocatalytic activity of NiO nanoparticles, Ag@NiO nanoparticles, g-C3N4 nanosheets, and the Ag@NiO@g-C3N4 nanocomposite was evaluated under visible light irradiation. The Ag@NiO@g-C3N4 nanocomposite demonstrated superior photocatalytic performance compared to the individual components. The photocatalytic degradation of indigo carmine (IC) dye was used to assess the photocatalytic activity, and the Ag@NiO@g-C3N4 nanocomposite exhibited exceptional efficacy exhibited a significantly higher reaction rate, estimated to be approximately 100 times faster than the unmodified process. This observation implies that the Ag@NiO@g-C3N4 nanocomposite exhibits potential as a viable material for various environmental applications.