10.57647/ijc.2026.1601.09

Fabrication of g-C3N4/Cu-MOF/Nd2O3@NiO Nanocomposite for Dual Photocatalytic Applications: Methylene Blue Degradation and Hydrogen Peroxide Production

PDF
  • Rubab Islam1,
  • Noor Fatima Tariq Siddiqui1,
  • Muhammad Tariq*1,
  • Khalid Mahmood2,
  • Ajaz Hussain2,
  • Shabbir Hussain3,
  • Muhammad Imran4,
  • Jafir Hussain Shirazi5,
  1. Division of Inorganic Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University, 60800-Multan, Pakistan
  2. Division of Organic Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University, 60800-Multan, Pakistan
  3. Institute of Chemistry, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan, 64200, Pakistan
  4. Institute of Chemistry, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan
  5. Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, 63100, Bahawalpur, Pakistan

Published in Issue 2026-03-31

Published Online: 2025-12-24

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Islam, R., Tariq Siddiqui, N. F., Tariq, M., Mahmood, K., Hussain, A., Hussain, S., Imran, M., & Shirazi, J. H. (2026). Fabrication of g-C3N4/Cu-MOF/Nd2O3@NiO Nanocomposite for Dual Photocatalytic Applications: Methylene Blue Degradation and Hydrogen Peroxide Production. Iranian Journal of Catalysis, 16(1 (March 2026). https://doi.org/10.57647/ijc.2026.1601.09
Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

PDF views: 154

Abstract

In the present report, a novel photocatalyst g-C3N4/Cu-MOF/Nd2O3@NiO was prepared using g-C3N4, Cu-MOF, and Nd2O3@NiO as the individual components using an ultrasonic-assisted wet-impregnation method. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis of the nanocomposite and its individual components were performed for vibrational, morphological, structural, and elemental characterization, respectively. The appearance of vibrational bands at 813 cm-1 for g-C3N4, 665 cm-1 for the  Nd-O, 511 cm-1 for NiO, and 599 cm-1 for Cu-O indicates preparation of g-C3N4/Cu-BDC/Nd2O3@NiO nanocomposite. An irregular flake-like morphology of the nanocomposite was observed in SEM images. The appearance of sharp peaks in X-ray diffraction analysis indicated the crystalline nature of the nanocomposite and its individual components. EDX analysis indicated the presence of all elements that made up the composition of the nanocomposite and its individual components. A comprehensive photocatalytic study using nanocomposite and its individual components as photocatalysts was conducted on the degradation of Methylene blue (MB) as a target pollutant. The results indicated that the nanocomposite degraded the target pollutant more efficiently than its individual components at various parameters such as pH, time, concentration of catalyst, and pollutant. The nanocomposite showed maximum degradation of 91% at pH 11, a catalyst dose of 10 mg, and 140 minutes of irradiation time in sunlight. The nanocomposite and its individual components were also tested for the production of Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2), and a higher production rate of 0.19 mg/L was obtained by the nanocomposite.

Keywords

  • Hydrogen Peroxide, Graphitic Carbon Nitride, Multicomponent Photocatalyst, Methylene blue, Neodymium Oxide, Photocatalytic Degradation
PDF

References

  1. P. Intaphong, P. Inphak, S. Tandorn, K. Chokethawai, C. Randorn, Iran. J. Catal. 15 (2025) 1-16. doi: 10.57647/j.ijc.2025.503.28.
  2. H. M. Elmehdi, B. Malathi, S. Begum, Surf. Interfaces. 78 (2025) 108106. doi: 10.1016/j.surfin.2025.108106.
  3. S. Saenab, O. P. Arjasa, F. I. Pambudi, D. Siswanta, RSC Adv. 15 (2025) 44893-44908. doi: 10.1039/D5RA05662D.
  4. S. Rasheed, S. A. Khan, M. A. Nazir, S. Ali, M. Younas, R. Iqbal, M. Mansha, et al. Chemistry Select. 9 (2024) 1-10. doi: 10.1002/slct.202403807.
  5. A. Mehrehjedy, P. Kumar, Z. Ahmad, P. Jankoski, A. S. Kshirsagar, et al. ACS Omega. 9 (2024) 49239-49248. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.4c06142.
  6. N. F. T. Siddiqui, F. Mushtaq, J. Mahar, M. Tariq, S. Haider, K. Alam, A. Iqbal, Int. J. Mater. Res. 116 (2025) 287-302. doi: 10.1515/ijmr-2024-0138.
  7. S. Tibebu, M. A. Gnaro, A. M. Kebede, A. A. Ammona, T. Sime, et. al Results Eng. 28 (2025) 108143. doi: 10.1016/j.rineng.2025.108143.
  8. P. Eswaran, P. D. Madasamy, K. Pillay, H. Brink, Biomass Convers. Biorefinery. 15 (2025) 12347-12367. doi: 10.1007/s13399-024-05999-z.
  9. P. Laokul, N. Kanjana, Colloids Surf. A: Physicochem. 731 (2025) 139034. doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.139034.
  10. S. Das, S. V. Chituru, S. K. Panigrahi, S. B. Bhutt, S. Majumdar, Sep. Purif. Technol. 383 (2025) 136142. doi: 10.1016/j.seppur.2025.136142.
  11. M. Ahmaruzzaman, S. R. Mishra, Mater. Res. Bull. 143 (2021) 111417. doi: 10.1016/j.materresbull.2021.111417.
  12. S. Ghazanfar, K. H. Shah, H. M. Asif, et al. Int. J. Environ. Anal. Chem. 105 (2025) 2344-2368. doi: 10.1080/03067319.2024.2313660.
  13. K. S. Ali, K. H. Shah, H. M. Asif, M. A. Khan, S. Hussain, M. Tariq, Int. J. Environ. Res. 66 (2024) 1-19. doi: 10.1007/s41742-024-00617-2.
  14. G. Subhrajyoti, A. Rana, S. Biswas, Chem. Mater. 36 (2024) 99-131. doi: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.3c02459.
  15. S. Zhou, L. Lu, D. Liu, J. Wang, A. Nezamzadeh-Ejhieh, et al. J. Liu, CrystEngComm 23 (2021) 8043-8052. doi: 10.1039/D1CE01264A.
  16. L. Song, Y. Yang, M. Zhang, J. Yan, H. Xia, L. Cui, Int. J. Biol. Macromol. 333 (2025) 148964. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.148964.
  17. J. Sahadevan, V. Siva, A. Murugan, A. S. Shameem, et al. J. Alloys Compd. 1050 (2025) 185414. doi: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2025.185414.
  18. A. R. Bagheri, M. Ghaedi, Arab. J. Chem. 13 (2020) 5218-5228. doi: 10.1016/j.arabjc.2020.02.020.
  19. V. D. Doan, T. L. Do, T. M. T. Ho, V. T. Le, H. T. Nguyen, Sep. Sci. Technol. 55 (2020) 444-455. doi: 10.1080/01496395.2019.1577266.
  20. B. Abdollahi, S. Farshnama, E. A. Asl, A. Najafidoust, M. Sarani, Inorg. Chem. Commun. 138 (2022) 109236. doi: 10.1016/j.inoche.2022.109236.
  21. Y. Wang, M. Ding, Z. Li, M. Li, Surf. Interfaces. 44 (2024) 103585. doi: 10.1016/j.surfin.2023.103585.
  22. A. Kumar, A. M. Hussein, F. M. Altalbawy, M. Kaur, H. Kaur, S. S. Jalal, et al. Arab. J. Chem. 17 (2024) 105912. doi: 10.1016/j.arabjc.2024.105912.
  23. G. Xin, Y. Meng, J. Chem. 2013 (2013) 1-5. doi: 10.1155/2013/187912.
  24. Y. Zhang, J. Lu, M. R. Hoffmann, Q. Wang, Y. Cong, Q. Wang, H. Jin, RSC Adv. 5 (2015) 48983-48991. doi: 10.1039/C5RA02750K.
  25. J. M. Yassin, A. M. Taddesse, M. Sánchez-Sánchez, Catal. Today. 390 (2022) 162-175. doi: 10.1016/j.cattod.2021.11.037.
  26. R. Sheikhsamany, A. Nezamzadeh-Ejhieh, J. Mol. Liq. 430 (2025) 127829. doi: 10.1016/j.molliq.2025.127829.
  27. S. Sharafzadeh, J. Zolgharnein, A. Nezamzadeh-Ejhieh, S. D. Farahani, Surf. Interfaces. 59 (2025) 105917. doi: 10.1016/j.surfin.2025.105917.
  28. S. Sharafzadeh, A. Nezamzadeh-Ejhieh, J. Zolgharnein, Chem. Phys. Impact. 11 (2025) 100963. doi: 10.1016/j.chphi.2025.100963.
  29. A. Yousefi, A. Nezamzadeh-Ejhieh, Iran. J. Catal. 11 (2021) 247-259. doi: oiccpress.com/ijc/article/view/3600.
  30. M. Raza, N. F. T. Siddiqui, M. Tariq, K. Mahmood, S. Hussain, Int. J. Environ. Anal. Chem. (2025) 1-26. doi: 10.1080/03067319.2025.2584474.
  31. G. Liu, M. Mamat, Y. Baikeli, X. Dong, Heliyon. 10 (2024) e29894. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29894.
  32. A. B. Siddique, M. A. Shaheen, S. Shafeeq, A. Abbas, Y. Zaman, et al. Adv. Mater. 6 (2025) 1330-1344. doi: 10.1039/D4MA01078G.
  33. S. Minisha, J. Johnson, S. M. Wabaidur, J. K. Gupta, S. Aftab, M. R. Siddiqui, W. Lai, Sustainability. 15 (2023) 14552. doi: 10.3390/su151914552.
  34. A. Akbari, Z. Sabouri, H. A. Hosseini, A. Hashemzadeh, et al. Inorg. Chem. Commun. 115 (2020) 107867. doi: 10.1016/j.inoche.2020.107867.
  35. S. Legmairi, S. Meneceur, A. Bouafia, S. E. Laouini, S. A. Alshareef, K. A. Essa, H. A. Almukhlifi, M. L. Tedjani, F. Menaa, Biomass Convers. Biorefinery. 14 (2024) 18469-18479. doi: 10.1016/j.jece.2020.104725.
  36. E. Arulkumar, S. Thanikaikarasan, Optik. 302 (2024) 171685. doi: 10.1016/j.ijleo.2024.171685.
  37. Y. Tang, J. Qiu, D. Dai, G. Xia, B. Fang, Y. Li, J. Yao, Sep. Purif. Technol. 354 (2025) 129350. doi: 10.1016/j.seppur.2024.129350.
  38. H. Xie, Y. Zheng, X. Guo, Y. Liu, Z. Zhang, J. Zhao, et al. ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng. 9 (2021) 6788-6798. doi: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c01012.
  39. J. Y. Yue, L. P. Song, Y. F. Fan, Z. X. Pan, P. Yang, Y. Ma, Q. Xu, B. Tang, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 62 (2023) 09624. doi: 10.1002/anie.202309624.
  40. M. M. Rahman, A. Wahid, A. M. Asiri, New J. Chem. 43 (2019) 17395-17402. doi: 10.1039/C9NJ05050G.
  41. A. Khurshid, K. Shah, H. Asif, M. Khan, A. Hussain, M. Tariq, Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 182 (2025) 1-18. doi: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2015.09.029.
  42. Q. Zhang, S. Fu, H. Li, Y. Liu, BioResources. 8 (2013) 3699-3705.
  43. M. Zeeshan, S. Ghazanfar, M. Tariq, H. M. Asif, A. Hussain, et al. Renew. Energy, 210 (2023) 800-809. doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2023.04.077.
  44. A. Chauhan, A. A. P. Khan, A. Sudhaik, R. Kumar, K. P. Katin, et al. J. Sol-Gel Sci. Technol. 112 (2024) 688-702. doi: 10.1007/s10971-024-06556-w.
  45. R. C. Dante, P. M. Ramos, A. Correa-Guimaraes, et al. Mater. Chem. Phys. 130 (2011) 1094-1102. doi: 10.1016/j.matchemphys.2011.08.041.
  46. S. A. Al-Harbi, Y. Q. Almulaiky, Heliyon. 10 (2024) e28396. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28396.
  47. M. Arunpandian, K. Selvakumar, A. Raja, et al. Colloids Surf. A: Physicochem. Eng. Asp. 567 (2019) 213-227. doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2019.01.058.
  48. A. Saleem, A. Iqbal, U. Younas, A. Ashraf, S. H. Al-Mijalli, F. Ali, et al. Arab. J. Chem. 17 (2024) 105545. doi: 10.1016/j.arabjc.2023.105545.
  49. I. W. Sutapa, B. V. Palapessya, F. A. Souhoka, A. Bandjar, Trends Sci. 21 (2024) 7163. doi: 10.48048/tis.2023.7163.
  50. J. Tauc, R. Grigorovici, A. Vancu, Phys. Status Solidi. 15 (1966) 627-637. doi: 10.1002/pssb.19660150224.
  51. A. Escobedo-Morales, I. I. Ruiz-Lopez, M. Ruiz-Peralta, et al. Heliyon. 5 (2019) e01505. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01505.
  52. M. Z. Ishaque, Y. Zaman, A. Arif, A. B. Siddique, M. Shahzad, D. Ali, M. Faizan, RSC Adv. 13 (2023) 30838-30854. doi: 10.1039/D3RA05170F.
  53. A. Ahmadian, S. Ahmadi, B. Goharrizi, Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 20 (2023) 6433-6448. doi: 10.1007/s13762-023-04908-7.
  54. S. Ashok, N. Kumaresan, H. C. D. Souza, V. Jayalakshmi, et al. Surf. Interfaces. 73 (2025) 107474. doi: 10.1016/j.surfin.2025.107474.
  55. H. Tehubijuluw, R. Subagyo, Y. Kusumawati, D. Prasetyoko, Sustain. Environ. Res. 32 (2022) 1-12. doi: 10.1186/s42834-021-00113-8.