Smart and advanced nanocomposites of rGO-based Ni-doped CoO/TiO for next-level photocatalysis and gas sensing application.

The rGO-based 5% Ni-doped CoO/TiO (GNCT) p-n heterojunction nanocomposite was synthesized using hydrothermal method. The resulting nanocomposite's morphology, structure, surface area, elemental composition, electrical and optical properties were thoroughly examined using a variety of techniques. The GNCT nanomaterial achieved an impressive 99.11% degradation within 40 min, while GPCT closely followed with a 96.6% efficiency. Its smart nanomaterial also excels as a n-butanol sensor, with GNCT showing a sensitivity of 91.51%, and GPCT registering 86.51%. This dual-functionality highlights its potential as an advanced material for environmental and sensing applications. Additionally, GNCT exhibited excellent stability across multiple cycles, underscoring its potential for gas sensing and environmental applications. The remarkable performance of GNCT is a result of the synergistic effects of its morphology (nanosheet), surface area (540.215 m/g), band gap (1.93 eV), and photosensitivity (36.92%), which collectively make it an ideal candidate for the photocatalytic and gas sensing applications.