Novel RGO-ZnWO4-Fe3O4 nanocomposite as high performance visible light photocatalyst

Abstract

A novel RGO-ZnWO<inf>4</inf>-Fe<inf>3</inf>O<inf>4</inf> nanocomposite is synthesized by a microwave irradiation method and its catalytic activity for the photo degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) is investigated. The prepared nanocomposites are characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) and UV-visible spectroscopy. The visible light photocatalytic activities of the prepared nanocomposites are investigated using a MB dye solution. It is noteworthy that RGO-ZnWO<inf>4</inf>-Fe<inf>3</inf>O<inf>4</inf> nanocomposites exhibited relatively high photocatalytic activity compared to ZnWO<inf>4</inf>-RGO and pure ZnWO<inf>4</inf> on MB in aqueous solution. This enhanced rate is due to the ability of the graphene in the RGO-ZnWO<inf>4</inf>-Fe<inf>3</inf>O<inf>4</inf> composite to support carrier exploitation efficiently by tolerating the photo excited electron-hole pairs and thus encouraging oxidative degradation of the pollutants. This work could be extended to other organic pollutants as well and could provide new insights into ternary nanocomposites as high performance photocatalysts and their application in waste water treatment. © 2016 The Royal Society of Chemistry.