Improved performance of Mn3O4-based nanocomposites in photocatalytic removal of methylene blue

In the present work, the ultrasonic-assisted co-precipitation method was applied to synthesize pure Mn3O4, Samarium-doped Mn3O4, and Zirconium-doped Mn3O4. Furthermore, as an additional stage, the hydrothermal method was utilized to prepare zeolite 4 A exploiting a natural zeolite (clinoptilolite). Afterward, some of the prepared Mn3O4-based photocatalysts were immobilized using the synthesized zeolite 4 A as a proficient support, resulting in the synthesis of some novel Mn3O4-based nanocomposites (including Sm(0.02)-Mn3O4/Zeolite 4 A and Zr(0.02)-Mn3O4/Zeolite 4 A). X-ray diffraction (XRD), Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy analysis (DRS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) as well as Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX) were the techniques utilized for the characterization of the prepared samples. The XRD patterns of the doped Mn(3)O(4)samples validated the presence of Hausmannite structure, excluding any impurities. Eventually, to evaluate the photocatalytic performance of synthesized photocatalysts, methylene blue (MB) aqueous solution as an organic pollutant was chosen to study. According to the results, Sm(0.02)-Mn3O4/Zeolite 4 A nanocomposite and Zr(0.1)-Mn(3)O(4)nanoparticles revealed an outstanding photocatalytic efficiency of 95. 5% and 98.4% in photocatalytic removal of MB in the 210 min, respectively. (C) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, pure Mn3O4 and doped Mn3O4 were successfully synthesized using the ultrasonic-assisted co-precipitation method, and Zeolite 4 A was prepared using the hydrothermal method. The prepared Mn3O4-based photocatalysts were immobilized on Zeolite 4 A, resulting in the synthesis of novel nanocomposites. Characterization techniques such as XRD, DRS, SEM, and EDX were used to analyze the samples, confirming the presence of Hausmannite structure in the doped Mn(3)O(4) samples. Photocatalytic degradation experiments showed that the Sm(0.02)-Mn3O4/Zeolite 4 A nanocomposite and Zr(0.1)-Mn(3)O(4) nanoparticles exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance.