Integration of Co-catalyst based WO3/gCN binary composite in the rGO matrix to investigate its photocatalytic properties

Harnessing the power of sunlight for environmental remediation demands efficient photocatalysts. Here, we introduce a novel WO3/gCN/rGO ternary composite designed to excel in visible-light photocatalysis. The synergistic interplay between WO3's strong oxidizing power, gCN's exceptional conductivity and charge separation, and rGO's enhanced light absorption promises significant activity improvement. The structural, optical test and photocatalytic properties of the as-synthesised materials was conducted using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and UV–visible spectroscopy. WO3, WO3/gCN, and WO3/gCN/rGO were treated against benzoic acid (BA), crystal violet (CV) as a dye and ciprofloxacin (CF) as a drug. The band gap energies of WO3 and WO3/gCN have been estimated to be 2.7 eV and 2.05 eV, accordingly. The rate constants (K) for the catalysts, namely WO3, WO3/gCN binary composites, and WO3/gCN/rGO, were measured to be 0.02 min−1, 0.00831 min−1, and 0.013 min−1, respectively. Ternary composite WO3/gCN/rGO showed highest activity for benzoic acid (86%) as compared to other prepared samples. The interplay of interfacial charge transfer and structure engineering within this unique architecture, aiming to unravel the mechanisms behind its anticipated superior performance in pollutant degradation. Only about 3% loss was noticed over 5 cycles. This work will pave the way for optimizing next-generation photocatalysts, pushing the boundaries of sustainable solar energy conversion and environmental purification.