WO₃–NiO/rGO Based Photocatalyst for Effectively Degradation of Colored and Colorless Pollutants Using Solar Light Irradiation

In this study, the precipitation and sonication methods were used to fabricate WO₃–NiO/rGO nanohybrid. The structural, spectral and optical characteristics of the as-synthesized samples were confirmed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and UV–Visible spectroscopy. In comparison to pure WO₃, NiO and WO₃–NiO, WO₃–NiO/rGO nanohybrid demonstrated increased photocatalytic degradation activity for rhodamine B and methylene blue under solar light irradiation. The percent degradation values for WO₃, NiO, WO₃–NiO and WO₃–NiO/rGO nanohybrid for methylene blue were 64%, 81%, 86% and 95%, and for rhodamine B were 58%, 80%, 92% and 96%. The lower recombination of photo-generated holes and electrons as a result of the creation of a heterojunction between WO₃ and NiO and the improved optical bandgap energy of WO₃-NiO nanocomposite and its hybrid with rGO are the potential causes of this enhanced photocatalytic degradation. WO₃–NiO/rGO nanohybrid demonstrated outstanding photocatalytic performance and positioned itself as a viable candidate in the catalysis industry.