Synthesis and characterization of rGO-supported Mo/Cu dual-doped NiO nanocomposite for the elimination of dye pollutant

Eco-friendly, highly efficient, and durable heterogeneous catalysts have gained high demand for environmental remediation caused by waste-water. Herein, NiCuMoO/rGO nanocomposite and NiCuO, NiMoO, and NiCuMoO nanoparticles were synthesized through sol–gel and ultra-sonication routes and characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman, UV–visible spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Cu and Mo doping efficiently reduced the bandgap (2.93 eV), while NiCuMoO/rGO revealed a minimum energy bandgap (2.65 eV) with spherical particles lying on rGO. The synthesized materials were tested for photodecomposition against MB dye in sun light exposure. The highest photodecomposition rate (99.2%) was attained for NiCuMoO/rGO photocatalyst. The boosted photodecomposition performance originated from the synergetic interaction of NiCuMoO and rGO that suppressed the recombination of e-/h + pairs and increased the charge carrier transfer capability. From the scavenger test, IPA and BQ have suppressed 55.0% and 45.0% MB dye, indicating that HO* and O₂^*− are the dominant radicals for photocatalytic reaction. Furthermore, the structure was interrupted after 6^th cycle reuse. The destruction pathway of MB using NiCuMoO/rGO photocatalyst is high, proposed large-scale utilization for the destruction of toxins.