Preparation and characterization of BiVO4-ZnO nanocomposite as heterogeneous photocatalysts for wastewater treatment and enhanced electrode performance

This study focuses on the synthesis and investigation of a BiVO₄-ZnO nanocomposite (NC) for photocatalytic dye degradation and dielectric applications. The synthesized NC exhibits improved structural, photocatalytic, and dielectric properties compared to its individual components. X-ray diffraction confirms the presence of monoclinic BiVO₄ and hexagonal wurtzite ZnO crystal structures. FESEM images show well-dispersed spherical ZnO and flaky BiVO₄ nanostructures. The NC achieves an impressive 98% degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye molecules in just 15 min, which is nearly four times faster than the parent materials. Additionally, photo-stability tests demonstrate excellent performance over five cycles, and radical trapping experiments highlight the roles of holes and hydroxyl radicals in the photodegradation process. Furthermore, dielectric measurements reveal a high dielectric constant of 36.18 and a low loss factor of 0.80. These findings suggest that the BiVO₄-ZnO nanocomposite is a promising material for environmental remediation and energy storage applications.

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