Green sol-gel auto-combustion synthesis of CeO2/MnCr2O4 nanocomposite using banana juice and its potential application for enhanced degradation of methyl orange under visible light
Ghazal Oroumi, Amirhossein Hemmatzadeh, Karrar Hazim Salem, Elmuez A. Dawi, Foroozan Samimi, Ghusoon Faidhi Hameed, Zahraa Ahmed Taha, Masoud Salavati‐Niasari
Abstract
Despite the introduction of different semiconductor photocatalysts for removing a variety of colors and contaminants, the development of novel multi-component substances with strong light-harvesting capacity remains a challenge. The purpose of this paper is to rationally design binary CeO2/MnCr2O4 heterostructure nanocomposites through the green sol-gel self-combustion route and use them as visible light-active nano-photocatalysts in wastewater treatment. Several physicochemical instruments, including powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS), and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), were used to examine the effects of banana juice volume on crystal structure, purity, and shape of as-formed specimens. Optical results demonstrate that binary CeO2/MnCr2O4 nanocomposites have high photocatalytic activity due to their 2.9 eV band gap. As a result of using 10 mL of banana juice, the best performing product removed almost 84 % and 93 % of methyl orange (MO) in 90 minutes and 120 minutes, respectively, under visible and UV light. CeO2/MnCr2O4 nanocomposite is a promising candidate for photocatalysis according to these findings.