{
  "abstract": "Efficient regulation of interfacial charge transfer through composition tuning is crucial for developing high-performance visible-light photocatalysts. In this study, the weight ratio of Ag–CoFe2O4 to g-C3N4 was systematically tuned (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, and 25:75 wt.%) to elucidate composition-dependent optical and interfacial properties and optimize photocatalytic degradation of phenol. The resulting heterostructures consisted of Ag-containing CoFe2O4 nanoparticles intimately integrated with two-dimensional g-C3N4, generating well-defined interfaces for charge-carrier migration. Among the investigated compositions, the 50:50 wt.% Ag–CoFe2O4/g-C3N4 heterostructure exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity, achieving approximately 60% phenol removal within 10 min, >90% within 20 min, and nearly 100% within 30 min. Further optimization revealed an optimum catalyst dosage of 10 mg, which achieved complete phenol removal within approximately 15 min, while 15% H2O2 accelerated complete removal to approximately 10 min. The superior performance of the optimized 50:50 wt.% composition is attributed to a favorable balance between visible-light harvesting, heterointerfacial contact, accessible reactive sites, and efficient charge separation and migration, together with Ag-mediated plasmonic effects and Co/Fe-mediated H2O2 activation for reactive oxygen species generation. The optimized heterostructure also demonstrated good recyclability, retaining approximately 97% phenol removal in the later cycles. These findings demonstrate that tuning the Ag–CoFe2O4:g-C3N4 weight ratio provides an effective strategy for engineering interfacial charge transfer and maximizing photocatalytic performance for industrial wastewater treatment.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "P.G and Research, Department of Physics, Presidency College, Chennai 600005, Tamil Nadu, India",
    "Carbon-Hydrogen Energy Materials Laboratory, Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur 603203, Tamil Nadu, India",
    "Khalifa University Space Technology & Innovation Laboratory (KUSTIL), Department of Aerospace Engineering, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab Emirates",
    "Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab Emirates",
    "University Centre for Research and Development (UCRD), Chandigarh University, Mohali 140413, Punjab, India"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Selvarrajan P. C"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Arthick Murugesan",
      "orcid": "0009-0003-1826-4573"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Abdul Hai",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4391-4008"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Sornamurthy B. M"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ramajayam Kanagadurai"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        4
      ],
      "name": "G. Bharath",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0166-8497"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4sd1wbgtzy8hm.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/catal16100932",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "4sd1wbgtzy8hm",
  "issns": [
    "2073-4344"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/16/10/932",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2105|Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223181715",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-21",
  "publisher": "MDPI AG",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4sd1wbgtzy8hm.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:43Z",
      "native_id": "10.3390/catal16100932",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/16/10/932"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "issn:2073-4344",
      "subfield": "catalysis"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Composition-Dependent Structural, Optical, and Photocatalytic Properties of Silver-Decorated Cobalt Ferrite/Graphitic Carbon Nitride Heterostructures for Enhanced Phenol Degradation",
  "title_text": "Composition-Dependent Structural, Optical, and Photocatalytic Properties of Silver-Decorated Cobalt Ferrite/Graphitic Carbon Nitride Heterostructures for Enhanced Phenol Degradation",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:43Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4sd1wbgtzy8hm",
  "venue": "Catalysts",
  "versions": []
}