Organic dyes are major cause of water pollution and a great threat to living organisms, animals and humans. In this study the iron oxide nanostructures (IONS) were synthesized by using Fagonia indica medicinal plant extract for photocatalytic degradation of harmful dyes. Among various synthesis methods, green synthesis is preferred because of its ecological benefits and cost effectiveness. Several techniques like UV-Visible, FTIR, SEM, XRD and DLS were used for characterization of IONS. The maximum absorption of IONS was observed at 294nm by UV –Visible spectroscopy. FTIR revealed significant peaks especially at 845 and 548cm−1 corresponding to Fe─O stretching vibration which supports the formation of IONS catalyst. SEM micrographs confirm the angular and agglomerated nature of IONS which was further supported by amorphous pattern observed in XRD analysis. DLS and zeta potential also supported the agglomerated structure showing a particle size of 78.8 nm and a zeta potential of −16mV. Despite agglomeration, it still showed excellent catalytic efficacy because of surface hydroxyl groups and plant mediated functional groups that supress the electron hole recombination and increase reactive oxygen. The IONS showed greater catalytic activity under sunlight approximately 87.5% methylene blue (MB) was degraded within 40 mins with a rate constant of 0.0519min−1.
Saba Naz, S. Sasui, A. Rizwan, K. Dileep and A. Saba
You can use below filter to find your desired issue