Reduced graphene oxide-assisted TiO2-Fe2O3 ternary nanocomposite for efficient visible-light driven photocatalysis of nitrobenzene and dye pollutants

Heterogeneous photocatalysis has gained popularity recently as a potential method for environmental remediation, especially in the purification of water and air. In order to improve the photocatalytic capacity under visible light, this work shows the production and analysis of a ternary nanocomposite made of reduced graphene oxide (rGO), Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles, and TiO₂ nanorods (TiO₂-Fe₂O₃-rGO). The desired TiO₂-Fe₂O₃-rGO nanocomposite was prepared successfully through a hydrothermal method, and its structural, morphological, and optical properties were thoroughly analyzed using UV–Vis DRS, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, XPS, SEM, photoluminescence spectroscopy and TEM. The ternary composite demonstrated superior photocatalytic performance in the abatement of nitrobenzene (NB) below visible light irradiation compared to its binary and single-component counterparts (1 wt% rGO achieved a 98.7% degradation rate in 80 min). In comparison, TiO₂, Fe₂O₃, TiO₂-Fe₂O₃, and TiO₂-Fe₂O₃-rGO with 0.5 wt%, 3 wt%, and 5 wt% rGO concentrations showed degradation rates of 67%, 68%, 71%, 85%, 93%, and 78%, respectively, at the 80 min mark. This enhanced activity is attributed to the effective charge separation and enhanced surface area provided by the incorporation of rGO, as well as the synergistic interaction between TiO₂ and Fe₂O₃. In addition, other dye pollutants acetophenone, eosin yellow and malachite green were degraded successfully using prepared composite. The study highlights the potential of the TiO₂-Fe₂O₃-rGO nanocomposite as an efficient photocatalyst for environmental applications.