Fabrication of visible-light active BiFeWO6/ZnO nanocomposites with enhanced photocatalytic activity

Abstract

Herein, we have examined the photocatalytic activity (PCA) of as-prepared BiFeWO6/ZnO nanocomposites for Rhodamine-B (RhB) degradation under visible-light irradiation (VLI). A simple co-precipitation process was preferred to fabricate both bare ZnO and BiFeWO6. The BiFeWO6/ZnO nanocomposites were fabricated by adding the various amounts (1, 5 and 10 wt%) of BiFeWO6 into ZnO via the wet-impregnation process. Among various nanocomposites, the 5 %-BiFeWO6/ZnO nanocomposite displayed an excellent PCA for RhB degradation, which was ∼2 folds higher than the bare ZnO. The as-prepared nanocomposites were examined by Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV–vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and photo-electrochemical studies. Finally, a feasible RhB degradation mechanism was offered over BiFeWO6/ZnO nanocomposites under VLI.