InVO4 nanosheets decorated with ZnWO4 nanorods: A novel composite and its enhanced photocatalytic performance under solar light

InVO4 is the most attractive inorganic new-generation material for advanced scientific research, especially in the fields of energy and environmental science. In theory, this stable, non-toxic, energy-efficient metal vanadate semiconductor is expected to exhibit significant catalytic activity owing to its narrow bandgap energy. However, this has not been achieved in practice because of its inherent defects in terms of the separation and migration of charge carriers. In fact, the exploration of this material is still in its infancy, and more research is needed to improve its efficiency and speed up its commercialization. Band gap engineering using heterojunction formation offers better results than other methods, such as morphological variations and doping efforts. In this context, the present study offers a significant solution substantiated by experimental results. This includes the successful synthesis of a novel nanocomposite of InVO4 nanosheets decorated with ZnWO4 nanorods with a unique improved light absorption ability. Three composites with 26.48–33.85 nm crystal sizes and 11.74–19.98 m2/g surface area were prepared with tailor-made bandgap energies in the range of 2.52–2.97 eV. Furthermore, they produced high photoexcitation currents with low EIS resistance with respect to their constituents. The as-prepared InVO4-based novel catalyst almost completely (98.33%) decomposed tetracycline (TC) antibiotic in just 90 min, proving its high efficacy. The enhanced performance of the novel catalyst is 7.6 times that of InVO4 and 10 times that of ZnWO4. Moreover, the catalyst intake was significantly small (15 mg/100 mL TC solution).