Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance of CdFe2O4/Al2O3 Nanocomposite for Dye Degradation

Abstract In the present work, CdFe2O4/Al2O3 magnetic nanocomposite photocatalyst is successfully synthesized by simple sol-gel auto-combustion method. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by the xylenol orange (XO) dye degradation under UV light. The influence of Al2O3 concentration with CdFe2O4 on the catalytic property is also studied. We have considered three weight percentage of Al2O3, 5%, 10% and 20% with CdFe2O4. All the samples are characterized with XRD, BET, FTIR, FESEM, TEM, UV-Visible, and VSM techniques. The degradation process of the dye is monitored spectrophotometrically. The photocatalytic activity of the samples is evaluated by the xylenol orange (XO) dye degradation under UV light. The performance in terms of removal efficiency is studied by varying the contact time, dye concentration and amount of catalyst. Among the three concentrations of Al2O3 with CdFe2O4, the 10% weight concentration of Al2O3 with CdFe2O4 is found to be the optimal concentration and showed the higher degradation rate. After 30 min photocatalytic reaction, the degradation rate is 92.29% for 10% CdFe2O4/Al2O3 and for bare CdFe2O4 it is 85.79%. The lower particle size, higher surface area, enhanced porosity, considerable band gap, and higher saturation magnetization is found as compared to that of 5% and 20% CdFe2O4/Al2O3 as well as bare CdFe2O4 nanoparticles. It is found that, the photocatalytic activity of synthesized nanocomposite is higher than CdFe2O4 (85.79%). The stability of the composite material is also investigated by performing consecutive runs. This work affords a new reference for designing spinel ferrites/Al2O3 nanocomposite and its application for environmental purification.