NiMoO4 nanostructures for efficient photocatalytic removal of ciprofloxacin: The impact of morphology

초록

Morphology-controlled nickel molybdate (NiMoO4) photocatalysts were synthesized via a hydrothermal method using different structure-directing agents, followed by calcination at 500 degrees C. EDTA, HMT, and SDS produced flake-, rod-, and needle-like morphologies, whereas a pebble-like structure formed without SDA. All samples exhibited a monoclinic NiMoO4 phase. The SDS-assisted nanoneedles showed a reduced band gap of 2.89 eV and enhanced visible-light absorption. Photocatalytic activity was evaluated by ciprofloxacin degradation under visible-light irradiation. The optimized nanoneedle catalyst achieved 89.4% degradation within 120 min with a rate constant of 0.017 min-1, attributed to efficient electron-hole separation. Moreover, the catalyst maintained excellent stability over five consecutive cycles, demonstrating that NiMoO4 photocatalytic performance is strongly governed by morphology. This study highlights morphology engineering as an effective strategy for optimizing charge dynamics, light harvesting, and practical stability in NiMoO4-based photocatalysts for visible-light-driven environmental remediation applications.

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