Synthesis and characterization of indium vanadate loaded on silver carbonate for photocatalytic activity Rhodamine B

Synthetic dyes such as Rhodamine B (RhB) pose serious environmental and health risks due to their toxicity, carcinogenic nature, and resistance to conventional wastewater treatment methods. RhB induces oxidative stress through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to ecological imbalance and reproductive toxicity when discharged into aquatic systems. Traditional dye removal techniques, including adsorption, coagulation, and ultrafiltration, are often limited by high operational costs, low efficiency, and the generation of secondary pollutants. In this study, an Ag₂CO₃/InVO₄ composite photocatalyst was synthesized via a simple impregnation method and evaluated for the photocatalytic degradation of RhB under visible-light irradiation. The prepared photocatalyst were characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), nitrogen adsorption-desorption, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), and ultravioletvisible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis/DRS). Among the prepared photocatalysts, the composite containing 20 wt.% InVO₄ supported on Ag₂CO₃ (20% InAC) exhibited the highest photodegradation efficiency towards RhB compared with pristine InVO₄ and Ag₂CO₃. This enhancement of photoactivity was due to the homogeneous dispersion of InVO₄ on the Ag₂CO₃ surface that led to the strong interfacial interactions between InVO₄ and Ag₂CO₃ and 20% InAC also possessed the lowest bandgap energy (1.81 eV), enabling enhanced visible-light absorption. Scavenger experiments revealed that photogenerated holes (h⁺) were the dominant reactive species, contributing approximately 68% to the photocatalytic degradation of RhB. Based on the experimental results, a Z-scheme charge transfer mechanism was proposed to explain the improved photocatalytic activity. Overall, the Ag₂CO₃/InVO₄ composite prepared by the impregnation method shows great potential as an efficient visible-light-driven photocatalyst for dye degradation in wastewater treatment applications.