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Improved photocatalytic degradation efficiency of methylene blue via MgAl2O4–graphene nanocomposite

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Abstract

In the present work, Magnesium Aluminate (MgAl2O4) nanoparticles and MgAl2O4–graphene nanocomposites with various graphene weight percentages (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5%) were prepared via sol–gel and ultra-sonication methods, respectively. The formation of the spinel phase was confirmed through XRD analysis. Scanning Electron Microscopy was used to study the morphology of the MgAl2O4 nanoparticles and their anchoring on the graphene sheets. The FTIR analysis also confirmed the presence of tetrahedral and octahedral bands at 695 and 526 cm−1, respectively. For magnesium aluminate nanoparticles, the bandgap was calculated to be 5.4 eV, which decreases to 4.9 eV with 5% graphene loading on the MgAl2O4–graphene nanocomposites. For methylene blue dye, the degradation efficiency of the 5% MgAl2O4–graphene nanocomposites was also found to be higher (90%) as compared to the pristine MgAl2O4 nanoparticles (70%). This increase in efficiency depicts their enhanced photocatalytic activity and strongly suggests that the MgAl2O4–graphene nanocomposites could be a good candidate for industrial wastewater remediation.

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Funding

The authors would like to acknowledge Higher Education Commission (HEC) Islamabad Pakistan, (Project no. 1326) for providing support for this work.

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  1. School of Chemical and Materials Engineering (SCME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), H-12, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan

    Ahmed Ali, Iftikhar Hussain Gul, Muhammad Zarrar Khan & Farhan Javaid

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  1. Ahmed Ali
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Correspondence to Farhan Javaid.

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Ali, A., Gul, I.H., Khan, M.Z. et al. Improved photocatalytic degradation efficiency of methylene blue via MgAl2O4–graphene nanocomposite. J. Korean Ceram. Soc. 60, 293–300 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43207-022-00263-4

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