Fabrication of hydroxyapatite based ternary nanocomposite for photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B dye

Herein, a novel ternary nanocomposite, V/ZnFe₂O₄/HAp was successfully synthesized. The as prepared composite was well characterized by various techniques that include powder X-Ray diffraction (PXRD), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscope (FEG-SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), UV-diffuse reflectance spectroscopic (UV-DRS) and UV-Vis spectrophotometer (UV-Vis). This study involved the investigation of the photocatalytic behavior of the as prepared nanocomposite. Notably, dye degradation from wastewater is a major concern in the field of environmental remediation. The as synthesized nanocomposite demonstrated exceptional photocatalytic activity and capable of degrading Rhodamine B (RhB) dye upto 98.4% just in 35 min under solar light irradiation. No external additives are utilized in the degradation process. Different parameters such as catalyst dosage, initial concentration of the dye solution were varied to find the optimum degradation conditions. Also, quenching experiment was carried out to confirm the presence of superoxide and hydroxide intermediates that involved in the photodegradation process. From all the obtained experimental findings a plausible mechanism involving photodegradation of RhB by as fabricated ternary nanocatalyst was suggested. Furthermore, stability and reusability of HAp based photocatalyst were ensured by performing recyclability test.