Synthesis and characterization of Cu and Tb substituted NiFe2O4@MXene nanocomposite as a new photocatalyst for removal of organic dyes and drugs from industrial wastewater

Abstract

The study aimed to establish a correlation between the photocatalytic degradation of Congo red (CR), Crystal violet (CV) dyes and Diclofenac sodium (DS) drug by copper, terbium substituted nickel ferrite (CuxNi1-xTbyFe2-yO4) and MXene (CTNF/MXene) composite where (x, y = 0.1). Terbium and copper doping reduced crystallite size, band gap energy, improve visible light absorption and impede electron-hole pair recombination. Superior complexation ability of terbium forces more pollutants to adsorb on the surface of photocatalyst and hence more degradation. Results indicated that MXene, acting as a co-catalyst, effectively lowered the charge recombination rates by electron trapping and enhanced the visible light absorption, improving the photocatalytic activity. CTNF/MXene composite exhibited greater rate constant and photocatalytic degradation of CR (91 %), CV (77 %) and DS (81 %) as compared to NF, CNF, TNF, CTNF. The increased surface area of CuxNi1-xTbyFe2-yO4 with MXene and reduced electron-hole pair recombination are possible factors for its successful use as photocatalyst.

Keywords

• NiFe2O4
• Cu-Tb-doped NiFe2O4
• MXene
• Crystal violet
• Congo red
• Diclofenac sodium