Enhanced charge carrier transfer process in nickel titanate nanostructures for environmental remediation of industrial dye

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2023-06, Vol.30 (27), p.70011-70021
• Main Authors: Subramanian, Suguna, Ganapathy, Sasikala, Dharmalingam, Sangeetha, Subramanian, Sumathi, Ayyaswamy, Arivarasan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ambience; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Carrier recombination; Charge transfer; Conduction bands; Coordination compounds; Crystal structure; Current carriers; Dyes; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Efficiency; Electrodes; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental cleanup; Environmental Health; Environmental restoration; Environmental Restoration and Remediation; Environmental science; Irradiation; Light; Light irradiation; Methylene blue; Morphology; Nanofibers; Nanoparticles; Nanostructure; Nanostructures - chemistry; Nickel; Nickel - chemistry; Nickel compounds; Optical properties; Photocatalysis; Photodegradation; Photoelectric effect; Physical characteristics; Pore size; Quantum dots; Recombination; Research Article; Scanning electron microscopy; Spectroscopy; Titanates; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control
• ISSN: 1614-7499; 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-27337-y

The effective charge carrier transfer process in one-dimensional (1D) NiTiO 3 nanofibers and NiTiO 3 nanoparticles was demonstrated experimentally, showcasing an effective photocatalytic enhancement under visible light ambience. The rhombohedral crystal structure of NiTiO 3 nanostructures was confirmed using X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The morphology and optical characteristics of the synthesized nanostructures were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV–visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). Nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis corresponding to NiTiO 3 nanofibers showcased porous structures with an average pore size of ~3.9 nm. The photoelectrochemical (PEC) measurement studies revealed an enhanced photocurrent for the NiTiO 3 nanostructures, confirming enhanced charge carriers transportation in fibers than in particles due to the delocalized electrons in the conduction band, thereby hindering the photoexcited charge carrier’s recombination. The photodegradation efficiency of methylene blue (MB) dye under the visible light irradiation revealed an enhancement in the rate of degradation for NiTiO 3 nanofibers when compared to NiTiO 3 nanoparticles. Graphical Abstract