Structural characterization and photocatalytic activity of NiO/AgNbO3

NiO/AgNbO3 composites are prepared by wetness impregnation method. The physical and chemical properties of catalysts are characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM-EDS and DRS techniques. The photocatalytic performance of the samples is evaluated by photocatalytic oxidation of methylene blue dye under UV light irradiation. The results of XRD indicate that perovskite-type AgNbO3 has a good crystal phase at different calcination temperatures and different NiO contents loaded. The XRD, XPS and SEM-EDS data indicate that NiO particles are presented on the surface of the pure AgNbO3. The DRS analysis shows that the NiO formed on AgNbO3 surface promotes the optical absorption in the visible region and makes it possible to enhance the photocatalytic activity. The result reveals that the degradation efficiency of methylene blue (MB) over NiO/AgNbO3 is higher than that of pure AgNbO3 under UV light and visible light irradiation, respectively. The highest photocatalytic degradation efficiency is observed when the sample calcined at 300 oC with 3 wt% Ni content under UV light irradiation with 3 h.