Synthesis, Characterization, and Photocatalytic Application of α-Fe2O3/α-AgVO3 Nanocomposite for Removal of Methylene Blue from Aqueous Media

In this study, α-Fe2O3/α-AgVO3 nanocomposite was successfully synthesized via a solvothermal process, followed by a co-precipitation method. The products were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, Fourier Transform InfraRed (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS). The photocatalytic activity of α-Fe2O3/α-AgVO3 nanocomposite was investigated for the removal of Methylene Blue (MB) dye from aqueous solutions under UltraViolet (UV) light irradiation. The results revealed that the photocatalytic performance of the nanocomposite is higher than that of the pure compounds. The effect of pH, MB concentration, and photocatalyst dosage on the removal efficiency of MB was also evaluated. The solution pH of 5.9, MB concentration of 20 mg/L, and photocatalyst dosage of 1.5 g/L were obtained as the optimal conditions. The kinetics of MB degradation was studied, and it was found that the reaction follows the pseudo-first-order equation. Under the optimal conditions, the MB removal efficiency of 98% was obtained, and the rate constant was calculated to be 0.0312 min-1. A possible mechanism for the p-n heterojunction was proposed to describe the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the α-Fe2O3/α-AgVO3 nanocomposite. The findings demonstrated that the α-Fe2O3/α-AgVO3 nanocomposite with improved photocatalytic activity can be used to remove contaminants from aqueous media.