Synthesis and Evaluation of Novel Ternary MgFe2O4/CuO/TiO2 Nanocomposite for Visible Light Photodegradation of Malachite Green Dye

Abstract

Novel ternary MgFe₂O₄/CuO/TiO₂ nanocomposite was synthesized using the sol-gel method at low temperatures. The XRD, FTIR, SEM-EDX, TEM, UV-visible DRS and VSM techniques were used to characterize the structure, shape, optical, morphology and magnetic properties. The XRD examination revealed typical peaks in nanocomposites, including the anatase phase of TiO₂ with an average diameter of 9 nm, consistent with the TEM data. The SEM morphology examinations revealed spherical particles, while EDAX analysis indicated the corresponding components (Fe, Ti, O, Mg and Cu) in the prepared nanocomposites. The UV-DRS measurements revealed that the synthesized nanocomposite has a band-gap energy of 2.30 eV. The vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) was used to trace the M-H loop of MgFe₂O₄, yielding magnetic parameters such as saturation magnetization (Ms). The catalytic activity of the as-prepared sample was examined by the degradation of malachite green dye under visible light and UV irradiations. The photocatalytic studies demonstrated that MgFe₂O₄/CuO/TiO₂ nanocomposite showed 100% degradation efficiency towards malachite green dye. Under visible light and UV irradiations, the synthesized MgFe₂O₄/CuO/TiO₂ sample with a molar ratio of 0.8:0.1:0.1 demonstrated good catalytic efficiency. The antibacterial activity investigations were done against Gram-negative Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis bacteria utilizing nanocomposites.