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Copper vanadate and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4) are pivotal materials in the realm of advanced materials science, owing to their distinctive optical and electronic conductive properties. In the context of environmental photocatalysis and biosensing applications, their synergistic combination holds significant promise. Copper vanadate, renowned for its optical and electronic properties, complements the unique architecture and optical conduction characteristics of g-C 3 N 4. Together, these materials exhibit immense potential for driving advancements in environmental sustainability and diagnostic techniques. In this study, we report the synthesis of copper vanadate (Cu 0.261 V 2 O 5) and its composite with graphitic carbon nitride. XRD confirms the synthesis of the novel phase, FESEM and TEM analysis reveals hierarchical nanoflowers and UV-Visible spectroscopy divulges the visible light activation of the synthesized material and aids in the calculation of the optical bandgap. Interfacial charge transfer was studied with the help of EIS and Mott-Schottky analysis was employed to reveal the semiconductor type (n or p type) and determine the band edges. The as-prepared material was tested for the photocatalytic removal of methylene blue (MB), followed by the study of reaction kinetics, cyclic stability and active radicals participating in the photocatalysis process. The synthesized heterojunction showed 100 % removal of MB within a tenure of 90 minutes. The results of the experiment revealed that Cu 0.261 V 2 O 5 decorated with g-C 3 N 4 displays 1.5 and 1.4 times better photocatalytic degradation capability than pure Cu 0.261 V 2 O 5 and g-C 3 N 4 , respectively. Furthermore, the synthesized material was evaluated for electrochemical biosensing of ascorbic acid in PBS (pH 7) analyte using a 3-electrode system. Compared to the pure material, the heterojunctions drew 1.9 times more current and provided near unity correlation (R2). It is evident that Cu 0.261 V 2 O 5 decorated with g-C 3 N 4 can be implemented for commercial eco-remediation and electrochemical ascorbic acid sensing. [Display omitted] • Synthesis of novel Cu 0.261 V 2 O 5 and g-C 3 N 4 hierarchical nanoflowers for photocatalysis and biosensing. • Characterization via XRD, FESEM, UV-Vis, EIS and Mott-Schottky plot. • Visible light activation and favorable optical bandgap observed. • Exceptional photocatalytic efficiency, outperforming individual constituents. • Electrochemical biosensing for ascorbic acid with near unity correlation R2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, Strontium Titanate (SrTiO 3) has been synthesized through template-free hydrothermal process and annealed at different temperatures (i.e., 300 °C, 500 °C and 700 °C) in a hydrogen atmosphere to modulate its bandgap. XRD, SEM, UV–Vis spectroscopy and PL spectroscopy were used to characterize the samples. The creation of oxygen vacancies has been verified, which contributes significantly to the reduction of the bandgap and the improvement of photocatalytic efficiency. STO annealed at the temperature of 500 °C displayed maximum evolution of 3060 μmol g−1 of hydrogen gas via photocatalytic water splitting and showed 88% and 81% methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB) degradation, respectively. Furthermore, the as-synthesized materials were used for the electrochemical biosensing of ascorbic acid, and STO-500 showed best results achieving the correlation R-square value of 0.9981. The findings of this study will be useful in investigating SrTiO 3 -photocatalysts in industries and implementing for electrochemical diagnostics. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional mixed metal oxides have attracted attention because of their unique characteristics and diverse crystal structure. In this work, we have synthesized zinc vanadium oxide and its nanocomposite with graphitic-carbon nitride via wet-chemical and hydrothermal methods. XRD analysis unsheathe the ZnV 2 O 6 /g-C 3 N 4 for wet-chemically synthesized composite while Zn 2 V 2 O 7 /g-C 3 N 4 for hydrothermally prepared composite. The sample synthesized using the wet-chemical process, has an agglomerated structure in the FESEM micrographs while hydrothermally synthesized sample reveal porous nanosheets of the composite material. Zn 2 V 2 O 7 /g-C 3 N 4 is further characterized with XPS and HRTEM. UV–visible spectroscopy was used to describe the material's optical characteristics and the Tauc relation was used to compute the associated optical bandgap. The as-synthesized composites were assessed as an electrochemical sensing material for ascorbic acid sensing in a neutral pH analyte (PBS). Furthermore, Zn 2 V 2 O 7 /g-C 3 N 4 shows exceptional photocatalytic CO 2 reduction and yielded CH 4 as a result. As-prepared nanocomposites can be used in commercial applications for electrochemical diagnostics and photocatalytic applications. • Synthesized Zinc Vanadium Oxide and its g-C3N4 nanocomposite via wet-chemical and hydrothermal methods. • SEM and XRD analysis revealed structural differences between methods. • UV–visible spectroscopy used for optical property analysis and bandgap calculation. • Material demonstrated efficacy as a neutral pH ascorbic acid sensor. • Exceptional photocatalytic CO2 reduction, yielding methane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]