Issue

Vol. 37 No. 3 (2025): Vol 37 Issue 3, 2025

Copyright (c) 2025 Ms., Prof., Dr., Makwena Justice Moloto

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Enhancing the Photocatalytic Activity of Co-precipitation Synthesized Fe3O4/ZnO Nanocomposites for Rhodamine B Degradation

https://doi.org/10.14233/ajchem.2025.33082
N.S.M. Kubheka
Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Roodepoort 1709, South Africa
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5242-5241
E.N. Nxumalo
Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Roodepoort 1709, South Africa
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8225-2401
M. Managa
Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Roodepoort 1709, South Africa
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4578-9861
M.J. Moloto
Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Roodepoort 1709, South Africa; Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Steve Biko road, Musgrave, Durban, South Africa
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4529-4984

Corresponding Author(s) : M.J. Moloto

Makwena.moloto@outlook.com

Asian Journal of Chemistry, Vol. 37 No. 3 (2025): Vol 37 Issue 3, 2025

Abstract

Severe global issues with a great deal of water scarcity and contamination by organic materials such as dyes dominate the challenges of the 21st century in environmental-related areas. Recently, there has been a plethora of opportunities for nanotechnology to produce multifunctional nanocomposites with high surface-to-volume ratios and distinctive surface functions to address these contaminants. This study report on the synthesis of Fe3O4/ZnO nanocomposite through co-precipitation method and investigate of degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) dye under visible irradiation. The prepared different ratios (1:1, 1:2 and 2:1) of Fe3O4/ZnO nanocomposites were characterized using various microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. The SEM images illustrated that the nanomaterials had an irregular flake-like shape and TEM images depicted well defined core-shell Fe3O4/ZnO nanocomposite structures. The FTIR and Raman spectroscopic results confirmed the functional groups and the different vibrational modes of the composite nanoparticles. The UV-Vis, PL spectra and Tauc plot revealed that the molar ratio had band gap energies below 3.0 eV. The 1:1 ratio was highly mesoporous (94.36 m2/g) with distinct vibrational mode features of core-shell structures and a band gap energy of 2.85 eV, making it a suitable photocatalyst. A comparison of the photo-degradation of the 1:1 Fe3O4/ZnO nanocomposite ratio using visible and solar irradiation light revealed that RhB exhibited a high degradation efficiency of 83.81% under visible light.

Keywords

Nanocomposites Multifunctional Contaminants Adsorption Photocatalyst
Kubheka, N., Nxumalo, E., Managa, M., & Moloto, M. (2025). Enhancing the Photocatalytic Activity of Co-precipitation Synthesized Fe3O4/ZnO Nanocomposites for Rhodamine B Degradation. Asian Journal of Chemistry, 37(3), 641–652. https://doi.org/10.14233/ajchem.2025.33082
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)
BibTeX
References
  1. H. Shayesteh, A. Rahbar-Kelishami and R. Norouzbeigi, J. Mol. Liq., 221, 1 (2016); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2016.05.053
  2. M.A. Albo Hay Allah, H.K. Ibrahim, H.A. Alshamsi and H. Radhi Saud, J. Photochem. Photobiol. Chem., 449, 115413 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphotochem.2023.115413
  3. A. Lesniewicz and A. Lewandowska-Andralojc, Sci. Rep., 14, 22600 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-73586-3
  4. A. Anjali, Gupta, B. Tripathi, M. Sahni, K. Sharma, N. Ranjan, M.Z.A. Yahya, I.M. Noor and S. Pandit, Ionics, 30, 8267 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1007/s11581-024-05843-4
  5. Parul, K. Kaur, R. Badru, P.P. Singh and S. Kaushal, J. Environ. Chem. Eng., 8, 103666 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2020.103666
  6. A. Balapure, J.R. Dutta and R. Ganesan, RSC Appl. Interf., 1, 43 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1039/D3LF00126A
  7. M. Xu, Q. Li and H. Fan, Adv. Powder Technol., 25, 1715 (2014); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apt.2014.06.019
  8. H.L. Pham, V.D. Nguyen, V.K. Nguyen, T.H.P. Le, N.B. Ta, D.C. Pham, Q.T. Tran and V.T. Dang, RSC Adv., 11, 22317 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1039/D1RA03468E
  9. R. Yu, Y. Shang, X. Zhang, J. Liu, F. Zhang, X. Du, H. Sun and J. Zeng, Catal. Commun., 174, 106583 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catcom.2022.106583
  10. N. Madima, K.K. Kefeni, S.B. Mishra, A.K. Mishra and A.T. Kuvarega, Inorg. Chem. Commun., 145, 109966 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inoche.2022.109966
  11. Y. Wang, X. Li, Y. Yang, J. Yang, N. Zhang, X. Wu and X. Li, J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Electron., 31, 5187 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-020-03078-3
  12. S.D. Kulkarni, S.M. Kumbar, S.G. Menon, K.S. Choudhari and C. Santhosh, Adv. Sci. Lett., 23, 1724 (2017); https://doi.org/10.1166/asl.2017.8484
  13. S. Chidambaram, B. Pari, N. Kasi and S. Muthusamy, J. Alloys Compd., 665, 404 (2016); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2015.11.011
  14. R. Elshypany, H. Selim, K. Zakaria, A.H. Moustafa, S.A. Sadeek, S.I. Sharaa, P. Raynaud and A.A. Nada, Molecules, 26, 2269 (2021); https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26082269
  15. P. Goyal, S. Chakraborty and S.K. Misra, Environ. Nanotechnol. Monit. Manag., 10, 28 (2018); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enmm.2018.03.003
  16. K.K. Nishad, N. Tiwari and R.K. Pandey, J. Electron. Mater., 47, 3440 (2018); https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-018-6171-3
  17. J.C. Sin, S.Q. Tan, J.A. Quek, S.M. Lam and A.R. Mohamed, Mater. Lett., 228, 207 (2018); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2018.06.027
  18. D.N. Tukan, L. Rosmainar, K. Kustomo and R. Rasidah, J. Berkala Ilmiah Sains Terapan Kimia, 17, 15 (2023); https://doi.org/10.20527/jstk.v17i2.15134
  19. X. Guo and G. He, J. Mater. Chem. A Mater. Energy Sustain., 11, 11987 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1039/D3TA01904G
  20. S.M. Devi, A. Nivetha and I. Prabha, J. Supercond. Nov. Magn., 33, 3893 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1007/s10948-020-05607-x
  21. H. Peng, C. Hu, J. Hu, T. Wu and X. Tian, J. Sol-Gel Sci. Technol., 80, 133 (2016); https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-016-4060-x
  22. M. Roeinfard and A. Bahari, J. Supercond. Novel Magn., 30, 3541 (2017); https://doi.org/10.1007/s10948-017-4154-x
  23. Shashank, H.S.B. Naik, G. Nagaraju, R.S. Keri, M.M. Naik and K. Lingaraju, J. Electron. Mater., 50, 3557 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-021-08816-9
  24. H.N. Ulya, A. Taufiq and Sunaryono, IOP Conf. Ser. Earth Environ. Sci., 276, 2 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/276/1/012059
  25. A. Kolodziejczak-radzimska, E. Markiewicz and T. Jesionowski, J. Nanomater., 2012, 656353 (2012); https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/656353
  26. P.P.C. Bergmann, J. Mar. Sci. Eng., 5, 4 (2015); https://doi.org/10.4172/2169-0022.1000217
  27. M. Šæepanovic, M. Grujic-Brojèin, K. Vojisavljevic, S. Bernik and T. Sreækovic, J. Raman Spectrosc., 41, 914 (2010); https://doi.org/10.1002/jrs.2546
  28. A.P. Grosvenor, B.A. Kobe, M.C. Biesinger and N.S. McIntyre, Surf. Interface Anal., 36, 1564 (2004); https://doi.org/10.1002/sia.1984
  29. V. Mihalache, C. Negrila, M. Secu, I. Mercioniu, N. Iacob and V. Kuncser, Results Phys., 51, 106644 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rinp.2023.106644
  30. B.S. Mun, Z. Liu, M.A. Motin, P.C. Roy and C.M. Kim, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 43, 8655 (2018); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.03.155
  31. M. Dawn, M. Zzaman, F. Faizal, C. Kiran, A. Kumari, R. Shahid, C. Panatarani, I.M. Joni, V.K. Verma, S.K. Sahoo, K. Amemiya and V.R. Singh, Braz. J. Phys., 52, 99 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1007/s13538-022-01102-x
  32. M.A. Lemes, M.S. Godinho, D. Rabelo, F.T. Martins, A. Mesquita, F.N. De Souza Neto, O.A. Araujo and A.E. De Oliveira, Acta Chim. Slov., 61, 778 (2014).
  33. J. Siregar, K. Sebayang, B. Yuliarto and S. Humaidi, AIP Conf. Proc., 2221, 110008 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0003210
  34. S. Karamat, R.S. Rawat, P. Lee, T.L. Tan and R.V. Ramanujan, Prog. Nat. Sci., 24, 142 (2014); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnsc.2014.03.009
  35. J. Grand, B. Auguié and E.C. Le Ru, Anal. Chem., 91, 14639 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.9b03798
  36. S.H. Chaki, T.J. Malek, M.D. Chaudhary, J.P. Tailor and M.P. Deshpande, Adv. Nat. Sci: Nanosci. Nanotechnol., 6, 035009 (2015); https://doi.org/10.1088/2043-6262/6/3/035009
  37. A. Taufik, I.K. Susanto and R. Saleh, J. Phys. Conf. Ser., 1091, 012010 (2018); https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1091/1/012010
  38. A. Roychowdhury, S.P. Pati, A.K. Mishra, S. Kumar and D. Das, J. Phys. Chem. Solids, 74, 811 (2013); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpcs.2013.01.012
  39. P. Basnet, D. Samanta, T.I. Chanu, S. Jha and S. Chatterjee, J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Electron., 31, 2949 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-019-02839-z
  40. V.A.R. Villegas, J.I. De León Ramírez, E. Hernandez-Guevara, S. Perez Sicairos, L.A. Hurtado-Ayala and B. Landeros-Sanchez, J. Saudi Chem. Soc., 24, 223 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jscs.2019.12.004
  41. J.C. Beltran-Huarac, S.P. Singh, M.S. Tomar, S. Peña, L. Rivera and O.J. Perales-Perez, MRS Online Proc. Lib., 1257, 67 (2010); https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-1257-O06-04
  42. J. Liqiang, Q. Yichun, W. Baiqi, L. Shudan, J. Baojiang, Y. Libin, F. Wei, F. Honggang and S. Jiazhong, Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells, 90, 1773 (2006); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2005.11.007
  43. L. Jing, Sci. China B Chem., 48, 25 (2005); https://doi.org/10.1360/03yb0191
  44. D. Liu, L. Tong, J. Shi, X. Yang and H. Yang, J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Electron., 23, 464 (2012); https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-011-0417-7
  45. S. Wang, J. Yang, J. Li, X. Wang, D. Wei, B. Song, H. Li and X. Fu, Physica E, 75, 66 (2016); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physe.2015.08.040
  46. O. Dlugosz, K. Szostak, M. Krupiñski and M. Banach, Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol., 18, 561 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-020-02852-4
  47. S. Varadi, C. Leostean, M. Stefan, A. Popa, D. Toloman, S. Pruneanu, S. Tripon and S. Macavei, Inorganics, 12, 119 (2024); https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics12040119
  48. J. Ai, C. Lin, W. Liao, C. Hu, T. Zhou, S. Luo, L. Cheng, Z. Chen, Y. Yang, Y. Zhang and W. Li, Mater. Sci. Technol., 35, 336 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1080/02670836.2018.1558578
  49. Y. Pujiarti, E. Suyanta and E.S. Kunarti, Key Eng. Mater., 884, 60 (2021); https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.884.60
  50. P.C. Vithalani and N.S. Bhatt, Environ. Ecol., 40, 2258 (2022).
  51. A. Gulpiya, Z. Su and H. Pan, J. Austr. Ceram. Soc., 57, 91 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1007/s41779-020-00508-7
Read More
Author biographies is not available.
Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC
Download
PDF
Statistic
Read Counter : 36 Download : 37