Synthesis and Characterization of ZnO/MnFe2O4 Nanocomposites for Degrading Cationic Dyes

By breaking down harmful dye waste into harmless components under the right irradiation sources, photocatalysis is an unorthodox but promising technique that can reduce industrial wastewater pollution, particularly in the textile industry. Synthetic textile dyes called cationic dyes must be handled carefully because they are poisonous and challenging to breakdown. Photocatalytic oxidation is a useful technique for eliminating hazardous organic pigments. This investigation aims to synthesize and characterize ZnO/MnFe2O4 nanocomposites as well as investigate the effects of varying ZnO:MnFe2O4 ratios, pH levels, doses, and irradiation times on band gap reduction and photocatalytic applications tested with cationic dyes, specifically methylene blue, under the illumination of sunlight. the co-precipitation approach for the manufacture of nanocomposites with different mole ratios of ZnO:MnFe2O4 (1:0.1; 2:0.1; 3:0.1). The component comprising the nanocomposite is ZnO/MnFe2O4, according to the results of the characterisation using XRD, SEM-EDX, FTIR, and BET. UV-DRS measurements of the band gap revealed that as ZnO was reduced, the band gap of the nanocomposite likewise decreased, from 3.35 eV to 2.78 eV. The greatest degradation of 93.2% was achieved for the degradation of 50 mg/L methylene blue (MB) dye with a catalyst dosage of 20 mg at a ratio of 1:0.2 for 50 minutes of irradiation. Since the point of zero charges (pzc) was reached at a pH of 7.8, a photodegradation adsorption-friendly solution pH of 8 was created.