Effective Removal of Methylene Blue by Mn<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>/NiO Nanocomposite under Visible Light
Komal Majeed,
Jaweria Ambreen,
Saeed Ahmed Khan,
Saz Muhammad,
Aqeel Ahmed Shah,
Muhammad Ali Bhatti,
Syeda Sitwat Batool,
Muhammad Farooq,
Syed Nizam Uddin Shah Bukhari,
Ali Dad Chandio,
Sadaf Jamal Gilani,
May Nasser Bin Jumah
Affiliations
Komal Majeed
Department of Chemistry, COMSATS University Islamabad, Park Road, Islamabad 45550, Pakistan
Jaweria Ambreen
Department of Chemistry, COMSATS University Islamabad, Park Road, Islamabad 45550, Pakistan
Saeed Ahmed Khan
Department of Electrical Engineering, Sukkur IBA University, Sukkur 65200, Pakistan
Saz Muhammad
Department of Chemistry, Lahore Garrison University, DHA Phase VI, Lahore 54792, Pakistan
Aqeel Ahmed Shah
Wet Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Metallurgical Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology, University Road, Karachi 75720, Pakistan
Muhammad Ali Bhatti
Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Sindh Jamshoro, Jamshoro 76080, Pakistan
Syeda Sitwat Batool
Department of Physics, COMSATS University Islamabad, Park Road, Islamabad 45550, Pakistan
Muhammad Farooq
Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), PCSIR Head Office, 01-Constitution Avenue, Sector G-5/2, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Syed Nizam Uddin Shah Bukhari
Department of Basic Science and Humanities, Dawood University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi 74800, Pakistan
Ali Dad Chandio
Wet Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Metallurgical Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology, University Road, Karachi 75720, Pakistan
Sadaf Jamal Gilani
Department of Basic Health Sciences, Foundation Year, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
May Nasser Bin Jumah
Biology Department, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
Wastewater treatment is indispensable as wastewater can lead to adverse health effects and deteriorate the quality of life on earth. Photocatalysis is a facile methodology to address this issue. In this study, nanocomposites (NCs) of manganese oxide (Mn3O4) and nickel oxide (NiO) were synthesized in different weight ratios via the solid-state reaction route. Structural properties, optical properties, surface morphology, and functional group analysis of the synthesized nanomaterials were conducted using X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV– Vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) along with energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, respectively. The bandgap of the nanocomposite decreases significantly from 2.35 eV for the Mn3O4 NPs to 1.65 eV for the Mn3O4/NiO nanocomposite (NC). Moreover, adsorption studies followed by the photocatalytic performance of the Mn3O4/NiO NCs were evaluated to determine the removal of methylene blue (MB) dye from wastewater. The photocatalytic performance of the nanocomposite enhances as the ratio of Mn3O4 in the composite increases from one weight percentage to three weight percentage. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency was calculated to be 95%. The results show that the synthesized NCs could play an important role in photocatalytic wastewater purification and environmental remediation.
