Mohamed, M.Shenoy, U.S.Bhat, D.K.2026-02-052017Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids, 2017, 109, , pp. 124-133223697https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpcs.2017.05.023https://idr.nitk.ac.in/handle/123456789/25496A novel NiWO<inf>4</inf>-ZnO-NRGO ternary nanocomposite has been efficiently synthesized by decorating nitrogen doped reduced graphene oxide (NRGO) with zinc oxide and nickel tungstate nanoparticles via a facile microwave irradiation technique and its capability to catalyze photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye in aqueous solution and reduction of 4-nitro phenol (4-NP) to 4-amino phenol (4-AP) using sodium borohydride was explored. The as-synthesized nanocomposite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) techniques. The photocatalytic activity of the as-synthesized nanocomposite estimated through the photodegradation of MB under visible light irradiation showed 9 times improvement over pure NiWO<inf>4</inf>. It also showed excellent catalytic activity in reduction of 4-NP to 4-AP. The material also showed excellent stability and reusability. The entire study revealed that the novel NiWO<inf>4</inf>-ZnO-NRGO ternary nanocomposite can act as a promising bifunctional photocatalyst for environmental remediation and industrial application. © 2017 Elsevier LtdAromatic compoundsBiodegradationCatalyst activityDoping (additives)Electron microscopyField emission microscopesGrapheneHigh resolution transmission electron microscopyIrradiationMicrowave irradiationNanocompositesPhenolsPhotocatalysisPhotocatalystsPhotodegradationPhotoluminescence spectroscopyReductionReusabilityScanning electron microscopySolutionsSpectrum analysisSynthesis (chemical)X ray diffractionZinc oxideDiffuse reflectance spectroscopyDye degradationEnvironmental remediationField emission scanning electron microscopyMicrowave irradiation techniquesPhotocatalytic activitiesPhotodegradation of methylene blueTernary nanocompositesX ray photoelectron spectroscopy