Harnessing solar power for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of coloured pollutants using novel Mg-doped-ZnFeO/S@g-CN heterojunction: A facile hydrothermal synthesis approach.

The ability of heterogeneous photocatalysis to effectively remove organic pollutants from wastewater has shown great promise as a tool for environmental remediation. Pure zinc ferrites (ZnFeO) and magnesium-doped zinc ferrites (Mg@ZnFeO) with variable percentages of Mg (0.5, 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 mol%) were synthesized via hydrothermal route and their photocatalytic activity was checked against methylene blue (MB) taken as a model dye. FTIR, XPS, BET, PL, XRD, TEM, and UV-Vis spectroscopy were used for the identification and morphological characterization of the prepared nanoparticles (NPs) and nanocomposites (NCs). The 7% Mg@ZnFeO NPs demonstrated excellent degradation against MB under sunlight. The 7% Mg@ZnFeO NPs were integrated with diverse contents (10, 50, 30, and 70 wt.%) of S@g-CN to develop NCs with better activity. When the NCs were tested to degrade MB dye, it was revealed that the 7%Mg@ZnFeO/S@g-CN NCs were more effective at utilizing solar energy than the other NPs and NCs. The synergistic effect of the interface formed between Mg@ZnFeO and S@g-CN was primarily responsible for the boosted photocatalytic capability of the NCs. The fabricated NCs may function as an effective new photocatalyst to remove organic dyes from wastewater.