Metal Oxide Photocatalysts Research Articles

CO2 Reduction Using Water as an Electron Donor over Heterogeneous Photocatalysts Aiming at Artificial Photosynthesis.

ConspectusPhotocatalytic and photoelectrochemical CO2 reduction of artificial photosynthesis is a promising chemical process to solve resource, energy, and environmental problems. An advantage of artificial photosynthesis is that solar energy is converted to chemical products using abundant water as electron and proton sources. It can be operated under ambient temperature and pressure. Especially, photocatalytic CO2 reduction employing a powdered material would be a low-cost and scalable system for practical use because of simplicity of the total system and simple mass-production of a photocatalyst material.In this Account, single particulate photocatalysts, Z-scheme photocatalysts, and photoelectrodes are introduced for artificial photosynthetic CO2 reduction. It is indispensable to use water as an electron donor (i.e., reasonable O2 evolution) but not to use a sacrificial reagent of a strong electron donor, for achievement of the artificial photosynthetic CO2 reduction accompanied by ΔG > 0. Confirmations of O2 evolution, a ratio of reacted e– to h+ estimated from obtained products, a turnover number, and a carbon source of a CO2 reduction product are discussed as the key points for evaluation of photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical CO2 reduction.Various metal oxide photocatalysts with wide band gaps have been developed for water splitting under UV light irradiation. However, these bare metal oxide photocatalysts without a cocatalyst do not show high photocatalytic CO2 reduction activity in an aqueous solution. The issue comes from lack of a reaction site for CO2 reduction and competitive reaction between water and CO2 reduction. This raises a key issue to find a cocatalyst and optimize reaction conditions defining this research field. Loading a Ag cocatalyst as a CO2 reduction site and NaHCO3 addition for a smooth supply of hydrated CO2 molecules as reactant are beneficial for efficient photocatalytic CO2 reduction. Ag/BaLa4Ti4O15 and Ag/NaTaO3:Ba reduce CO2 to CO as a main reduction reaction using water as an electron donor even in just water and an aqueous NaHCO3 solution. A Rh–Ru cocatalyst on NaTaO3:Sr gives CH4 with 10% selectivity (Faradaic efficiency) based on the number of reacted electrons in the photocatalytic CO2 reduction accompanied by O2 evolution by water oxidation.Visible-light-responsive photocatalyst systems are indispensable for efficient sunlight utilization. Z-scheme systems using CuGaS2, (CuGa)1–xZn2xS2, CuGa1–xInxS2, and SrTiO3:Rh as CO2-reducing photocatalyst, BiVO4 as O2-evolving photocatalyst, and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and Co-complex as electron mediator or without an electron mediator are active for CO2 reduction using water as an electron donor under visible light irradiation. These metal sulfide photocatalysts have the potential to take part in Z-scheme systems for artificial photosynthetic CO2 reduction, even though their ability to extract electrons from water is insufficient.A photoelectrochemical system using a photocathode is also attractive for CO2 reduction under visible light irradiation. For example, p-type CuGaS2, (CuGa)1–xZn2xS2, Cu1–xAgxGaS2, and SrTiO3:Rh function as photocathodes for CO2 reduction under visible light irradiation. Moreover, introducing a conducting polymer as a hole transporter and surface modification with Ag and ZnS improve photoelectrochemical performance.

Influence of the reaction between water and ZnO on the properties of Au Schottky contacts and the photocatalytic activity of ZnO(0001) single crystals

Wet chemical treatment is a conventional surface cleaning method, and metal oxide photocatalysts are commonly used to decompose organic compounds in water. In this study, we have investigated the influence of the reaction between water and ZnO on the properties of Au Schottky contacts and the photocatalytic activity of Zn-face ZnO(0001) single crystals. The ZnO substrate was put in deionized water at temperatures between 40 °C and 90 °C (water treatment). The ZnO substrate was etched with deionized water, and the surface roughness increased with increasing water temperature. Although the water treatment had no significant influence on the surface composition of the ZnO substrate, it changed the properties of the Au contacts. Schottky contacts were formed on the as-received ZnO substrate and the ZnO substrate after the water treatment at 40 °C, whereas ohmic contacts were formed on the ZnO substrate after the water treatment at 90 °C. Photoelectron emission spectra showed that the surface Fermi level in the ZnO substrate after the water treatment at 90 °C was located just below the conduction band. However, the water treatment had no significant influence on the photocatalytic activity of the ZnO substrate. Even when the water treatment was performed at 90 °C, the surface Fermi level of the ZnO substrate in an electrolyte solution, which was estimated from photoelectrochemical measurements, was located about 0.4 eV below the conduction band.

Triphasic Metal Oxide Photocatalyst for Reaction Site‐Specific Production of Hydrogen Peroxide from Oxygen Reduction and Water Oxidation

AbstractThe search for photocatalysts allowing the highly active, selective, and stable conversion of molecular oxygen into hydrogen peroxide is of worldwide interest. Here, the authors report the efficient conversion of O2 into H2O2 with ≈100% selectivity and stable cycle stability by a triphasic metal oxide photocatalyst with a cobalt hydroxide carbonate nanosheet phase for water oxidation as well as iron oxide and titanium oxide phases of a core‐shell morphology for charge transfer and oxygen reduction, denoted as CFT. The different surface energies of 0.78 (anatase) and 0.93 J m‐2 (rutile) for titanium oxide and 1.39 J m‐2 for iron oxide result in a core‐shell morphology. The band gaps for iron oxide (2.02 eV), titanium oxide (≈3 eV), and cobalt hydroxide carbonate (3.80 eV) sites reveal that the CFT photocatalyst allows visible‐to‐UV light absorption. The 18O2 isotope‐labeling experiments prove that the core‐shell structure promotes hole transfer toward the water oxidation site. Additionally, the hole‐induced H2O2 decomposition at the oxygen reduction site is efficiently hindered. Moreover, the photogenerated electrons transfer toward the oxygen reduction site to produce H2O2 from O2 with ≈10‐fold higher activity than those by conventional single‐ or dual‐phase photocatalysts, while giving robust cycle stability.

Computation-assisted performance optimization for photoelectrochemical photoelectrodes

The generation rate and collection efficiency of photocarriers fatally determine the photoelectrochemical performance of photoelectrodes. However, it is challenging to simultaneously reach a high generation rate and a high collection efficiency due to their conflictive dependence on the thickness of photocatalytic films, especially for metal oxide photocatalysts. Therefore, it is critical to select an appropriate thickness to reach the highest photocatalytic rate under certain light illustration. Herein, we proposed a physical model to predict the optimal thickness of photocatalytic films by combining computation and experiments. In this model, a photoelectrode was investigated by thoroughly considering the electric potential distribution in the whole photocatalytic film rather than only considering the depletion layer as previously. We solved the continuity equation and got the distribution of minority carriers in photocatalytic films. The used parameters for calculation were obtained through density functional theory calculation and experiments. The optimal thickness of photocatalytic films can be predicted with this model. We have used CuFeO2 films as the model material to verify the accuracy of the proposed model. Compared to the traditional trial-and-error process, our computation-assisted approach is highly efficient and can be broadly employed to other materials.

NiO load K2Fe4O7 enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production and photo-generated carrier behavior

Improving the efficiency of photocatalytic water splitting hydrogen production of iron-containing metal oxide photocatalysts is still a huge challenge. Herein, the new application of K2Fe4O7 for photocatalytic hydrogen production was proposed, and its photocatalytic performance was studied. Moreover, NiO was loaded on the surface of the K2Fe4O7, and improved the photocatalytic performance of K2Fe4O7. To understand the reason for the performance improvement, electrochemical impedance spectra, Surface photovoltage (SPV) and Transient photovoltage (TPV) were used to investigate the photogenerated carrier transportation mechanism of the samples. The result shows that the excellent photocatalytic performance of the samples was mainly due to the photogenerated electrons of K2Fe4O7 transferred to NiO, which enhanced the separation and transport of photogenerated carriers.

Ultra-efficient post-treatment flame method to introduce abundant oxygen vacancies in BiVO4 photoanode toward solar water splitting

Oxygen vacancies (OVs) are widely introduced into metal oxide photocatalysts to improve their light absorption, carrier mobility, and surface reaction. It is still challenging to use typical OV generation strategies for achieving high efficiency, low cost, and good controllability. Here, we develop the controllable and ultra-efficient post-processing flame method to introduce rich OVs into monoclinic BiVO4 photoanode in 20 s. The experiment parameters including the fuel-to-oxygen equivalence, distance, and annealing time were governed to adjust the electronic structure and PEC performances of the resultant BiVO4 photoanodes. As a result, the photocurrent density was enhanced up to 3.14-fold, and a high photocurrent density of 3.07 mA cm−2 was achieved. The introduction of OVs improves the carrier transport, adsorption, and activation of OH– ions, confirmed by experimental and computational results. Furthermore, the presented flame strategy exhibited great versatility in the configuration of OV-enhanced metal oxide photoanodes such as Fe2O3, WO3, and TiO2.

Continuous Oxygen Vacancy Gradient in TiO2 Photoelectrodes by a Photoelectrochemical‐Driven “Self‐Purification” Process

AbstractOxygen vacancies have been treated as an important material engineering tool to enhance catalytic performance; for instance, oxygen vacancies suppress charge recombination at the Schottky interface, and thus, the photocurrent can be improved. In this regard, the gradient distribution of oxygen vacancies in n‐type metal oxides produces the ideal band structure for minimizing e−/h+ recombination by efficient hole extraction; however, its achievement remains a daunting challenge. Here, a photoelectrochemical (PEC)‐driven “self‐purification” process is suggested, which can effectively generate a gradient distribution of oxygen vacancies in the thickness range of ≈9.5 nm. As a result, a charge transport efficiency of >95% can be achieved by efficient hole migration from the photoanode to the electrolyte. This unique protocol is expected to provide an advanced metal oxide photocatalyst and photoelectrochemical electrode that exhibit superior photocatalytic performance with enhanced charge separation.

Synthesis and Applications of Green Synthesized TiO2 Nanoparticles for Photocatalytic Dye Degradation and Antibacterial Activity

Metal oxide photocatalyst is one of the promising photocatalysts in the water remediation process. The present work is aimed at synthesizing the green production of TiO2 (G‐TiO2) nanoparticles from mulberry plant extract. Plant phytochemicals serve a different role to produce the nanophase particles. The bioreductant is safer and noxious free compound for synthesizing the G‐TiO2 nanoparticles. The synthesized G‐TiO2 nanoparticles in anatase phase and their crystallite size of 24 nm were characterized from X‐ray diffraction analysis. The Ti‐O bonding and plant derivatives and their reduction were confined from FTIR analysis. The wide bandgap of G‐TiO2 nanoparticles (3.16 eV) and their optical characterization were captured from UV‐DRS analysis. The spherical surface morphology and their Ti and O elemental configurations were characterized from FESEM with EDX technique. The photocatalytic dye degradation was examined against methylene blue dye, and their pseudo‐first‐order kinetics were evaluated. The cyclic experiments declared their catalytic potential. The bacterial resistance of G‐TiO2 nanoparticles was examined against gram‐positive and gram‐negative bacteria. Hence, the catalytic potential and bacterial stability of G‐TiO2 nanoparticles are the powerful candidate for water remediation and biomedical applications.

Modification Strategies of Metal Oxide Photocatalysts for Clean Energy and Environmental Applications: A Review

Modification Strategies of Metal Oxide Photocatalysts for Clean Energy and Environmental Applications: A Review

Distinct role of hexagonal tungsten in tungsten/ceria heterojunction in efficient utilization of visible flux

Mixed phase metal oxide photocatalysts at optimised phase ratio are known to perform better than their monophasic counterpart in visible spectrum. In tungsten oxide (WO3) too high visible activity is seen in multi-phasic systemhaving dominant hexagonal phase and is attributable to its superior photon harvesting characteristicsthan other phases. In a hetero-composite with ceria due to suitable band edge position further enhancement in the photoactivity is seen mainly with its monoclinic(m-WO3) phase. In this work, h-WO3/Ce3+/Ce4+based hetero-composites have been realized with different molar ratio of W/Ce.While h-WO3 dominates all the systems,m-WO3appears in the system at low concentration of Ce and disappears at higher concentrations. The resultant sharp increase (13.66X) in the visible photocatalytic performance of mixed phase-WO3/ceria composite compared to pristine h-WO3 shows a further jump (44X) in the monophasic-WO3/ceria composite with the highest concentration of ceria synthesized. The characterization by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-VIS spectroscopy (UV-VIS DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, transmission electronmicroscopy(TEM), and scanning electron microscopy(SEM) with energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX) reveal the complex role distinct phase junctions of homo-/hetero-composites. The mixed-phase h-WO3/m-WO3homojunction, h-WO3/Ce3+ composite heterojunction and h-WO3/Ce3+/Ce2+ with both hetero-composite (h-WO3/Ce3+ and h-WO3/Ce2+) and homo-composite(Ce3+/Ce4+) heterojunction in the samples has been identified, and their roles have been analyzed to correlate with their respective visible light photoactivity.

A Critical Review on the Photo Degradation of Diazinon, A Persistent Organic Pesticides

Broad production, utilization, and scrapping of pesticides worldwide increase the health concern of humans and animals, due to their bio-persistent and bio-accumulating nature. Among the present treatment methods, metaloxide based photocatalysis is the emerging technology for pesticide removal in aqueous medium, and has gained the interest of many researchers in the past years due to its feasibility, cost efficiency and higher degradation rate. This review briefly discusses the mechanism of metaloxide based photocatalytic degradation, reaction kinetics of pesticides degradation, optimization of operational parameters to enhance the degradation process, and different modifications such as binary, ternary or metal/non-metal dopped metaloxide photocatalysts to improve the effectiveness of degradation has also been analyzed. The effect of operational parameters like effect of catalyst dosage, pH, initial pesticide concentration, UV/sunlight, and irradiation time on the photocatalytic degradation of pesticide has been reviewed. The comparison of various photocatalysts for the degradation of diazinon from aqueous medium is summarized. However additional research is required to achieve fast and maximum degradation to keep the environment safe.

Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity of Ag/WO3 Nanoparticles and its Antibacterial Activity Under Ambient Light and in The Dark

Nanomaterial such as metals and metal oxide photocatalysts have emerged as important tools for removing contaminants from wastewater and as antibacterial agents to prevent infections; this is mainly due to their stability under different irradiation conditions. Herein, the catalytic and antimicrobial activities of nanocrystalline silver (Ag), supported on tungsten oxide (WO3) nanoparticles prepared using the deposition-precipitation synthesis technique, are studied. The synthesized material was characterized as XRD, XPS, TEM, and TEM-EDS to investigate their physio-chemical properties. HRTEM, XPS analysis shows that the photocatalyst has a large sheet-like morphology with well-dispersed small metallic Ag particles (<3 nm) on the WO3 nanoparticle's surface, with most particles near the edges. Ultraviolet–visible spectra analysis observed a large redshift in the absorbing band edge and decreased bandgap energy from 2.6 to 2.1 eV. Photocatalytic analysis at different concentrations of 1% Ag/WO3 under visible light indicated a high degradation efficiency. The largest degradation efficiency of Methylene Blue (MB) under visible light irradiation was (∼80%) in 120 min at 1 g/L catalyst dosage. The photodegradation of MB under visible light as a function of catalyst dose followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics. In addition, the catalyst shows high degradation efficiency and significant dose-dependent inhibition of Gram-negative E. Coli and the Gram-positive S. aureus. Furthermore, the catalyst showed excellent stability and recyclability.

Cobalt ferrite-modified sol-gel synthesized ZnO nanoplatelets for fast and bearable visible light remediation of ciprofloxacin in water

Currently, metal oxide photocatalysts is a green and facile tool for the elimination of emerging pollutants utilizing light illumination. Though, the wide bandgap energy (Eg), rapid recombination of photogenerated carriers, and photostability of these oxides represent critical issues before the actual application. Herein, we familiarise a sol-gel based synthesis of ZnO hexagonal nanoplatelets modified with CoFe2O4 (CFO) nanoparticles at minor loading (1.0–4.0 wt %) to yield CFO/ZnO nanoheterojunctions. The CFO/ZnO unveiled mesostructured surfaces at surface areas of 102–120 m2 g−1 and photoactive in the visible region with high. The CFO addition to ZnO reduced its Eg from 3.14 to 2.66 eV. The formed nanoheterojunctions were applied to remediate ciprofloxacin (CPF), as an antibiotic pollutant in wastewater. The 2.4 g L-1 3.0 wt % CFO-added ZnO exhibited a 100% removal of 10-ppm CPF within 45 min of visible-light irradiation and sustainable recycling ability for five consecutive runs at 97%. The sustainable performance of CFO/ZnO is ascribed to the suppression of photogenerated carriers and reduction of E by p-n nanoheterojunction formation. This study broadens the way for nanoheterojunction oxides for the destruction of pharmaceutical wastes under visible-light illumination.

Visible Light Trapping against Charge Recombination in FeOx-TiO2 Photonic Crystal Photocatalysts.

Tailoring metal oxide photocatalysts in the form of heterostructured photonic crystals has spurred particular interest as an advanced route to simultaneously improve harnessing of solar light and charge separation relying on the combined effect of light trapping by macroporous periodic structures and compositional materials’ modifications. In this work, surface deposition of FeOx nanoclusters on TiO2 photonic crystals is investigated to explore the interplay of slow-photon amplification, visible light absorption, and charge separation in FeOx–TiO2 photocatalytic films. Photonic bandgap engineered TiO2 inverse opals deposited by the convective evaporation-induced co-assembly method were surface modified by successive chemisorption-calcination cycles using Fe(III) acetylacetonate, which allowed the controlled variation of FeOx loading on the photonic films. Low amounts of FeOx nanoclusters on the TiO2 inverse opals resulted in diameter-selective improvements of photocatalytic performance on salicylic acid degradation and photocurrent density under visible light, surpassing similarly modified P25 films. The observed enhancement was related to the combination of optimal light trapping and charge separation induced by the FeOx–TiO2 interfacial coupling. However, an increase of the FeOx loading resulted in severe performance deterioration, particularly prominent under UV-Vis light, attributed to persistent surface recombination via diverse defect d-states.

Effect of Gd and Y co-doping in BiVO4 photocatalyst for enhanced degradation of methylene blue dye

The development of metal oxide photocatalysts with improved dye degradation efficiency under natural sunlight is in increasing demand due to their superior chemical stability and cost effectiveness. In this context, Gd and Y co-doped BiVO4 having the nominal compositions Bi0.92GdxYyVO4(0.06 ≤ x ≤ 0.08; 0 ≤ y ≤ 0.02) have been synthesized via a surfactant free hydrothermal technique. The structural characterizations by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed a monoclinic to tetragonal phase transition induced by co-doping in BiVO4. High resolution transmission electron microscopy images revealed successful synthesis of Gd and Y co-doped BiVO4 with a very good crystallinity. The steady-state photoluminescence spectroscopy analysis indicated significant suppression of charge carrier recombination in the co-doped samples. Under simulated sunlight, Bi0.92Gd0.07Y0.01VO4 photocatalyst demonstrated 94% degradation of methylene blue dye (MB) within 90 min of irradiation time, which is about 4 times higher than that of pristine BiVO4 photocatalyst. This superior photocatalytic performance may be attributed to the synergistic effect of nanorod like shape of the synthesized materials, negative surface charge, and enhanced charge career lifetime of the Bi0.92Gd0.07Y0.01VO4 photocatalyst.

Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 into CH4 over Ru-doped TiO2: Synergy of Ru and oxygen vacancies

Photocatalytic conversion of CO2 and H2O into CH4 is an intriguing approach to achieve solar energy utilization and CO2 conversion, yet remains challenging in conversion efficiency. In this study, we present a synthesis of defected TiO2 nanocrystal with oxygen vacancies (Vo) by a facile Ru doping-induced strategy under hydrothermal condition. The synergistic effect of Ru and oxygen vacancies contributed to the enhanced photocatalytic reduction of CO2 toward CH4. Oxygen vacancies and doped Ru not only can synergistically promote the separation of photogenerated carriers, but also promote the CO2 adsorption, thus enhancing the photocatalytic activities. The optimal Ru-doped TiO2 (denoted as 1% Ru-TiO2-x) exhibited a remarkable enhanced photocatalytic performance with a CH4 yield of 31.63 μmol·g−1·h−1, which is significantly higher than Ru-TiO2 and TiO2-x counterparts. This study systematically investigates the multiple roles of Ru in CO2 reduction and provides new insights for the construction of metal oxide photocatalysts with oxygen vacancies by simple doping of metal ions.

Inorganic Metal-Oxide Photocatalyst for H2 O2 Production.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ) is a mild but versatile oxidizing agent with extensive applications in bleaching, wastewater purification, medical treatment, and chemical synthesis. The state-of-art H2 O2 production via anthraquinone oxidation is hardly considered a cost-efficient and environment-friendly process because it requires high energy input and generates hazardous organic wastes. Photocatalytic H2 O2 production is a green, sustainable, and inexpensive process which only needs water and gaseous dioxygen as the raw materials and sunlight as the power source. Inorganic metal oxide semiconductors are good candidates for photocatalytic H2 O2 production due to their abundance in nature, biocompatibility, exceptional stability, and low cost. Progress has been made to enhance the photocatalytic activity toward H2 O2 production, however, H2 O2 photosynthesis is still in the laboratory research phase since the productivity is far from satisfaction. To inspire innovative ideas for boosting the H2 O2 yield in photocatalysis, the most well-studied metal oxide photocatalysts are selected and the modification strategies to improve their activity are listed. The mechanisms for H2 O2 production over modified photocatalysts are discussed to highlight the facilitating role of the modification methods. Besides, methods for the quantification of H2 O2 and associated radical intermediates are provided to guide future studies in this field.

Engineering attractive interaction in ZIF-based phase change materials for boosting electro- and photo- driven thermal energy storage

Metal organic frameworks contain abundant empty space for selectively absorbing phase change materials (PCM) molecules and sometimes chemically transformed. However, the strong attractive interaction between metal organic frameworks and PCM severely blocks sufficient crystalline-amorphous state transition of PCM. Herein, we proposed an attractive interaction engineering strategy on hierarchical zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF) based phase change materials (polyethylene glycol/carbon cloth@ZIF, PEG/CC@ZIF) for boosting crystalline-amorphous state transition behavior and electro-/photo- driven thermal performance. Carboxyl-modified CC scaffold regulates attractive interaction between ZIF and PEG, which enhances energy storage capacity of the phase change composite. Moreover, ZIF nanoflakes deposited on the surface of CC reduce the convective heat loss at the solid–gas interface, and CC scaffold facilitates electron transportation and photon penetration, thus significantly enhancing electro- and photo- driven thermal energy storage. Furthermore, ZIF-induced chain effect between PEG and CC enhances the mechanical properties of PEG/CC@ZIF. Notably, commercially available transition metal oxide photocatalyst can be uniformly sprayed on the surface of PEG/CC@ZIF through coordination chemical engineering for multi-functional phase change composite.

A Novel Machine Learning Model to Predict the Photo-Degradation Performance of Different Photocatalysts on a Variety of Water Contaminants

This paper describes an innovative machine learning (ML) model to predict the performance of different metal oxide photocatalysts on a wide range of contaminants. The molecular structures of metal oxide photocatalysts are encoded with a crystal graph convolution neural network (CGCNN). The structure of organic compounds is encoded via digital molecular fingerprints (MF). The encoded features of the photocatalysts and contaminants are input to an artificial neural network (ANN), named as CGCNN-MF-ANN model. The CGCNN-MF-ANN model has achieved a very good prediction of the photocatalytic degradation rate constants by different photocatalysts over a wide range of organic contaminants. The effects of the data training strategy on the ML model performance are compared. The effects of different factors on photocatalytic degradation performance are further evaluated by feature importance analyses. Examples are illustrated on the use of this novel ML model for optimal photocatalyst selection and for assessing other types of photocatalysts for different environmental applications.

Visible light driven Nd2O3/Mo(S,O)3-x·0.34H2O heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants

Developing low-cost and visible-light-driven metal oxide and sulfide-based photocatalysts for the degradation of organic dyes has been a major area of research to mitigate environmental pollution. In this study, a low-cost and facile precipitation method at low temperature of 95 °C was used to synthesize visible-light-driven Nd2O3/Mo(S,O)3-x·0.34H2O heterojunctions (NdMoOS). The crystal structure, elemental composition, optical, and electrical properties of as-prepared materials were investigated using various analytical techniques. Organic dyes of methyl orange (MO), Rhodamine B (RhB), and Methylene blue (MB) were selected as model organic pollutants to evaluate the photocatalytic efficiency of as-synthesized materials under visible light irradiation. 20 mol% NdMoOS nanocomposite showed excellent degradation efficiency and it decomposed 98.8%, 99.9%, and 99.8% of MO, RhB, and MB after 120 min, 90 min, and 90 min visible light irradiation, respectively. HPLC-MS analysis further confirms the complete removal of dyes. The formation of heterojunction, high charge separation, and low recombination rate of photoinduced e--h+ pairs can contribute to the enhanced photocatalytic activity. Superoxide radicals (O2–•), hydroxyl radicals (HO•), and holes (h+ ) were identified as major oxidative species involved in the photocatalytic degradation mechanisms of MO, RhB, and MB dyes.