Novel NRGO-CoWO4-Fe2O3 nanocomposite as an efficient catalyst for dye degradation and reduction of 4-nitrophenol

Abstract

Novel NRGO-CoWO4-Fe2O3 (N-doped reduced graphene oxide-cobalt tungstate-iron oxide) ternary nanocomposite was prepared by using simple microwave method. The synthesized materials were thoroughly characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) and UV-Visible spectroscopy. The nanocomposite was studied for its catalytic activity in degradation of methylene blue (MB) and reduction of 4-Nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-Aminophenol (4-AP). The observed results of catalytic efficiency and rate constants indicated that the NRGO-CoWO4-Fe2O3 nanocomposite can perform as an excellent catalyst compared to other composite materials. The detailed experimental study revealed that this ternary nanocomposite shows a great promise as a candidate for various environmental applications. 2018 Elsevier B.V.