NiMoO₄ nanorods photocatalytic activity comparison under UV and visible light

Waste water remediation is the ongoing hot research topic that can reduce the water scarcity all over the world. By reducing the pollutants in the waste water drawn from industries and other sources will be more useful for domestic purposes. To reduce the rate of pollutants in water may also help in improving the aquatic environment and decreases other side effects. Efficient and cost effective catalysts were in search for both dye degradation and water remediation treatment applications. NiMoO₄ nanorods were prepared by employing co-precipitation method with different stirrer time (2 h, 4 h and 6 h). The formation of NiMoO₄ was substantiated employing X-ray diffractometer analysis (XRD). Vibrational and rotational property of the samples was analyzed by FT-IR spectra and Raman spectra. The optical property was further confirmed by UV-vis spectral studies. Morphological analysis studies revealed growth of nanorods with 6 h stirrer time. The photocatalytic behavior of the obtained product was carried out under both UV light (364 nm) and visible light irradiation. The samples subjected to visible light environment showed better efficiency on degrading the methylene blue (MB) dye. The efficiency obtained under UV irradiation were 20%, 31%, 33%, 41% and efficiency obtained in visible light irradiation were 27%, 42%, 46%, 55% with respect to bare methylene blue (MB), MB with NiMoO₄ (2 h), MB with NiMoO₄ (4 h), MB with NiMoO₄ (6 h) catalyst added. NiMoO₄ sample with 6 h stirrer time and fine nanorods growth will be the good candidate for future use.