Electrochemical, Photocatalytic and Photoluminescence properties of BaWO4 and rGO-BaWO4 nano-composites: A Comparative study

The rGO-BaWO4 (rGO-BWO) nanocomposites were synthesized by employing the ultrasonic-assisted co -preci-itation method. Nanocomposites formed with BWO nanoparticles anchored to layers of reduced graphene oxide through in situ reduction and a homogeneous distribution of BWO nanoparticles were confirmed by SEM images. The rGO-BWO nanocomposite showed improved photocatalytic activity for the visible light degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) dye with a rate constant of 27 x 10-3 min- 1 compared to pristine BWO. The band gaps for BWO nanoparticles estimated using UV-Vis DRS are of the order of 3.25 eV-4.25 eV, while they were 2.78 eV-3 eV for rGO-BWO nanocomposites. The delocalized surface charges induced by the interactions between the rGO and BWO nanoparticles in the composite material might be responsible for the observed reduction in the band gap. Photoluminescent investigations demonstrate that rGO-BWO nanocomposites have a lower peak intensity compared to pure BWO particles, indicating a reduced recombination rate and better photocatalytic activity. In particular, when used as supercapacitor electrodes, the produced nanocomposites outperform BWO. Because of its larger surface area, the rGO-BWO nanocomposites display two-fold higher outcomes including 586, 571, 406, 375 and 307 F/g compared to BWO 391, 352, 291, 214 and 174 F/g at each current density 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10 A/g and faster charge transfer owing to improved porosity in the surface of rGO-BWO.