Synthesis of MnO₂/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite for the efficient photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and acid blue 113 dyes

The current study examines the synergistic effect of manganese oxide (MnO₂)/graphitic-carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) nanocomposite for degradation (decolorization) of methylene blue (MB) and acid blue 113 (AB113) in an aqueous solution. XRD, HR-SEM, HR-TEM, and EDX analysis confirmed the successful loading of g-C₃N₄ nanoparticles (NPs) on the. MnO₂ NPs. FTIR confirms the functional groups and presence of interaction between MnO₂ and g-C₃N₄ NPs. UV–Visible spectra predict an improvement in light absorption ability of MnO₂ NPs after loading of g-C₃N₄. Photoluminescence (PL) spectral analysis indicates the effective charge separation ability of MnO₂/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite. HR-SEM and HR-TEM analysis portray the formation of hexagonal-like MnO₂ particles and g-C₃N₄ nanosheets. The photocatalytic degradation of MB and AB113 dyes in presence of pure MnO₂ and MnO₂/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite was studied under visible light irradiation. The maximum degradation efficiency was found to be 97% for MB and 92% for AB113 dye, in the presence of MnO₂/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite. The scavenger studies were performed to examine the responsible active species for the degradation of dyes. The prepared MnO₂/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite also showed acceptable recyclability in the dye photodegradation reactions.