Synergistic photocatalytic effect of -Fe2O3-ZnO binary nanocatalyst toward methylene blue: An experimental design study

Due to the potential ecosystem protection and management applications, searching for highly optimized semiconductor-based solar energy photocatalysts is still a significant challenge. Coupled alpha-Fe2O3-ZnO nanoparticles were prepared in situ and characterized by various identification techniques such as XRD, SEM-EDX, TEM, DRS, and FT-IR. Its pHpzc was about 8.1. The band gap energies of ZnO, alpha-Fe2O3, and the coupled alpha-Fe2O3-ZnO system were 3.22, 2.08, and 2.09 eV, respectively. The boosted photocatalytic activity of the coupled catalysts was designed via the RSM approach, and the optimal RSM conditions were pH 5, 25 min irradiation time, and 0.3 g/L of the alpha-Fe2O3-ZnO containing 75 % ZnO. The center point conditions' run included 0.5 g/L of the coupled catalyst containing 50 % ZnO, pH 7, and 22.5 min illumination time. The study on scavenger agents showed the highest role of hydroxyl radicals in MB photodegradation by the proposed catalyst.