Enhanced solar-light-driven photocatalytic properties of novel Z-scheme binary BiPO nanorods anchored onto NiFeO nanoplates: Efficient removal of toxic organic pollutants.

Global environmental problems have been increasing with the growth of the world economy and have become a crucial issue. To replace fossil fuels, sustainable and eco-friendly catalysts are required for the removal of organic pollutants. In this study, nickel ferrite (NiFeO) was prepared using a simple wet-chemical synthesis, followed by calcination; bismuth phosphate (BiPO) was also prepared using a hydrothermal method. Further, NiFeO/BiPO nanocomposites were prepared using a hydrothermal technique. Numerous characterization studies, such as structural, morphology, surface area, optical, photoluminescence, and photoelectrochemical investigations, were used to analyze NiFeO/BiPO nanocomposites. The morphology analysis indicated a successful decoration of BiPO nanorods on the surface of NiFeO nanoplate. Further, the bandgap of the NiFeO/BiPO nanocomposites was modified owing to the formation of a heterostructure. The as-prepared NiFeO/BiPO nanocomposite exhibited promising properties to be used as a novel heterostructure for tetracycline (TC) and Rhodamine B (RhB) removal. The NiFeO/BiPO nanocomposite degrades TC (98%) and RhB (99%) pollutants upon solar-light irradiation within 100 and 60 min, respectively. Moreover, the trapping experiments confirmed the Z-scheme approach of the prepared nanocomposites. The efficient separation and transfer of photogenerated electron-hole pairs rendered by the heterostructure were confirmed by utilizing electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, photocurrent experiments, and photoluminescence. Mott-Schottky measurements were used determine the positions of the conduction and valence bands of the samples, and the detailed mechanism of photocatalytic degradation of toxic pollutants was projected and discussed.