Visible light-driven photocatalytic and photo-Fenton degradation of methylene blue and eosin yellow dyes using ZnO/NiFe2O4 nanocatalysts

Abstract This work investigated the photocatalytic performance of ZnO/NiFe 2 O 4 nanocomposites with varying ZnO contents for the removal and degradation of organic contaminants from textile effluents. ZnO/NiFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles were created using a chemical one-pot technique. The morphology was revealed by field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM), and the hexagonal wurtzite phase of ZnO and a cubic spinel phase of ZnFe 2 O 4 wereverified by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The optical bandgap of the optimized composition was found to be 1.46 eV. Methylene blue (MB) and eosin yellow (EY) dyes were used to measure the catalysts’ photocatalytic capacity, with the optimum nanocomposite degrading 84 and 85% of EY and MB, respectively, under visible light. The reaction rate constant value reached 0.0246 min −1 and 0.0249 min −1 for EY and MB, respectively. Scavenging studies revealed that •OH radicals and photo-induced holes (h + ) are the primary species involved in the elimination of MB and EY.