Physicochemical and photocatalytic properties of Ag₂CrO₄/Fe₂O₃/CeO₂ ternary nanocomposite

Abstract

The study presents Ag2CrO4/Fe2O3/CeO2 ternary nanocomposite, based on Fe2O3/CeO2 binary composites, which demonstrated excellent photocatalytic performance in the photodegradation of methylene blue under solar irradiation. The Ag2CrO4/Fe2O3/CeO2 nanocomposites was orthorhombic, ilmenite, and cubic‐fluorite phases of Ag2CrO4, Fe2O3, and CeO2, respectively, according to the XRD examination. A strong bond between Ag2CrO4, Fe2O3, and CeO2 within the nanocomposite was demonstrated by the SEM and TEM investigations. Moreover, it was discovered that the coupling of Ag2CrO4 and Fe2O3 caused a red shift and moved CeO2 absorption edge from the UV to the visible spectrum. The reason behind this is that the band gap of CeO2 reduced 2.85 to 2.69 eV and the absorbance band intensity increased in visible region. Utilizing visible light, Ag2CrO4/Fe2O3/CeO2 ternary nanocomposites exhibit enhanced photocatalytic properties (98.90%) for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) within 100 min. The long‐term reliability and recyclability of the photocatalyst were explored through 3 successive cycles. An active radical quenching test was conducted to elucidate the involvement of O2− and OH which are the primary reactive species in the photocatalytic breakdown of MB. Ag2CrO4/Fe2O3/CeO2 ternary nanocomposites displayed notable improvements in photodegradation activity, making them well suited for the effective removal of hazardous dyes present in textile effluents.