Investigation of photocatalytic activity of nickel-doped manganese aluminum ferrite nanoparticles for rhodamine b degradation under visible light

Abstract

Nickel-doped manganese aluminum ferrite NiXMn1−XAl0.5Fe1.5O4 (X = 0,0.3) nanoparticles were synthesized via the Sol-gel method. XRD showed the spinel ferrite structure with average crystallite sizes of 30.66 to 39.69 nm. FTIR confirmed metal-oxygen bonds. SEM revealed the surface morphology and particle sizes of 75–95 nm. EDX confirmed the elemental composition. BET analysis determined the surface area of 13.43 m2/g for undoped and 28.38 m2/g for Ni-doped ferrite. The band gap decreases from 2.4 to 2.2 by doping nickel. Achieving 98.96% degradation of 10 mg/L Rhodamine B within 120 min under visible light irradiation was accomplished using a catalyst dose of 0.1 g/L at pH 7 and 20°C with a light intensity of 100 W. The photodegradation kinetics followed a first-order reaction. Hydroxyl radicals were identified as the major reactive species responsible for dye degradation. The nickel-doped ferrite nanoparticles exhibited efficient and stable photocatalytic performance for Rhodamine B removal from wastewater under visible light. Photocatalytic performance for Rhodamine B removal from wastewater under visible light.