Facile synthesis of NiMn2O4/ZnMn2O4 heterostructure nanocomposite for visible-light-driven degradation of methylene blue dye

Abstract

Nowadays, waste discharge and contaminants in drinking water have emerged as a significant global problem. Therefore, it is necessary to remove these pollutants from the water and photocatalysis is the best technique for this purpose. The co-precipitation technique was employed to produce NiMn2O4 and ZnMn2O4 and a photocatalyst containing NiMn2O4/ZnMn2O4 heterostructure nanocomposite. Various analytical techniques have been ascribed to examine the physical, morphological and optical features of the fabricated catalysts. XRD diffraction peak patterns were utilized to confirm the presence of cubic NiMn2O4, tetragonal ZnMn2O4 and NiMn2O4/ZnMn2O4 phases in a nanocomposite. In photodegradation tests, the nanocomposite catalyst outperformed the individual catalysts. After 60 minutes of visible light exposure, this nanocomposite catalyst eliminated the methylene blue (MB) dye, attaining substantially higher degradation rates than pure NiMn2O4 (66%) and ZnMn2O4 (77%). The nanocomposite catalyst was highly effective against methylene blue (MB) dye with a degradation efficiency of 92%.

Keywords

• Methylene blue
• heterostructure
• spinel compounds
• photocatalysis
• dye degradation