Improved pechini sol-gel fabrication of Li2B4O7/ NiO/Ni3(BO3)2 nanocomposites to advanced photocatalytic performance

Abstract

In current research, nano-scaled Li2B4O7/NiO/Ni3(BO3)2 (LiBNi) composites were fabricated through improved pechini sol–gel method for advanced photocatalytic applications to remove dye contaminations of drinking water under UV/Visible irradiation. To optimize LiBNi nanocomposites properties, different complexing agents including ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), citric acid, tannic acid, tartaric acid and phthalic acid were utilized in pechini sol–gel process. Various sizes and morphologies of Li2B4O7/NiO/Ni3(BO3)2 nanocomposites obtained that were characterized by SEM and TEM techniques. Also, to confirm crystalline and structural features of nano-sized LiBNi samples, analyses of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) were performed. By consideration of UV–Vis data, band-gap of LiBNi nanocomposites premeditated is 3.35 eV. Moreover, photocatalytic degradation of Li2B4O7/NiO/Ni3(BO3)2 nanocomposites was examined via UV/visible waves in aqueous solution for degradation acid red 88 pollutant after 90 min. Some operative factors such as nanocatalyst concentration and irradiation type for optimized LiBNi nanocomposites were assessed for removal of drinking water contaminant.