Synthesis and characterization of rGO based nanocomposite of doped nickel ferrite for outstanding photodegradation of industrial effluents

[Display omitted] •Novel CrNF@rGO nanocomposite was successfully synthesized by an ultra-sonication approach.•Optical band gap of NF and CrNF is 3.09 eV and 2.84 eV respectively.•CrNF@rGO nanocomposite showed remarkable photocatalytic activity against Rhodamine B, Paracetamol, and Benzoic acid. Herein, Nickel ferrite (NF), chromium doped nickel ferrite (CrNF), and nanohybrid of CrNF with rGO (CrNF@rGO) were successfully synthesized for the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B, Paracetamol, and Benzoic Acid under sunlight. Tuning the band gap of NF by doping may result in increase the removal efficacy of CrNF as compared to pristine NF. The prepared CrNF showed higher degradation efficiency of 72 %, ∼45 %, and 72 % as compared to NF i.e. 52 %, 37 %, and 58 % for RhB, Benzoic acid, and Paracetamol respectively. Among all fabricated photocatalysts, the outstanding catalytic performance was shown by CrNF@rGO nanohybrid. CrNF@rGO nanocomposite degraded ∼ 82 % of RhB, 53 % of Benzoic acid, and 80 % of Paracetamol. The significantly improved photocatalytic activity of rGO based nanohybrid is attributed to its high surface area, high charge transfer capability, and/or high separation of photo-produced species. Thus, CrNF@rGO nanohybrid could be a potential catalyst for the degradation of industrial effluents.