Visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity of NiFe2O4@Ti-doped ZnO magnetically separable nanoparticles anchored on N-doped rGO nanosheets

2D-reduced graphene oxide-based nanocomposites (rGO) have been studied frequently for the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants due to their remarkable charge carrier properties. In this work, NiFe2O4@Ti-doped ZnO magnetically separable nanoparticles loaded on N-doped rGO nanosheets using a one-step hydrothermal technique. The crystal structural and functional group of samples were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectra (FTIR), respectively. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images show ZnO nanoparticles covered NiFe2O4 nanospheres and the binary nanocomposite properly anchored on rGO. Furthermore, these results were confirmed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The reduction of GO was proved using Raman spectroscopy, and the presence of Ti and N atoms as dopants was detected using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) examined the magnetic features at room temperature. The recyclable magnetic catalyst exhibited excellent removal efficiency and easy separation under an external magnetic field. According to UV–Vis spectroscopy results, the bandgap energy of pure ZnO nanoparticles reduced from 3.21 eV to 1.91 eV for the ternary nanocomposite. As a result of changed bandgap energy level and reduced electron-hole pairs recombination, the photo-degradation efficiency of MO and MB in the presence of N-doped rGO/NiFe2O4@Ti-doped ZnO nanocomposite under a visible light source after 240 min reached up to at 96 % and 93 %, respectively. Using a pseudo-first-order reaction model, the photo-degradation kinetics (k) of the prepared ternary nanocomposite was measured with high-rate constants of 0.01 min−1. The results demonstrated that the recyclable magnetic nanocomposite is an eco-friendly catalyst with efficient photocatalytic performance for wastewater treatment and environmental applications. [Display omitted] •Synthesis of novel magnetically separable N-doped rGO/NiFe2O4@Ti-doped ZnO nanocomposite by a two-step hydrothermal method.•Improved photocatalytic degradation efficiency of MO and MB under visible light in the presence of ternary nanocomposite.•Enhanced photocatalytic activity by reducing electron-hole pairs recombination and modifying the electronic structure.•Rapid response and easy collection of synthesized catalyst under the external magnetic field.