Novel NiTiO3/Ag3VO4 composite with enhanced photocatalytic performance under visible light

• Novel NiTiO3/Ag3VO4 composite with type-II band alignment is successfully prepared.
• XPS and FESEM confirm the formation of composite with chemically bound interfaces.
• High photoactivity of the composite is due to an efficient separation of e−–h+ pairs.
• Possible e−–h+ transfer mechanism at the NiTiO3/Ag3VO4 interface is proposed.

A novel NiTiO3/Ag3VO4 composite with type-II band alignment was prepared using a modified Pechini/precipitation method. The FESEM image of the NiTiO3/Ag3VO4 heterostructure reveals the dispersion of small NiTiO3 particles on the Ag3VO4 surfaces, indicating the close interfacial connection between NiTiO3 and Ag3VO4. The heterojunction shows remarkably higher photocatalytic activity than pure NiTiO3 and Ag3VO4 due to an increase in light harvesting efficiency and an efficient electron–hole separation being induced by the suitably matching conduction and valence band levels. Based on the VB-XPS and UV–vis DRS results, a possible electron–hole transfer mechanism at the NiTiO3/Ag3VO4 interface is proposed.

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