Microscale flower-like magnesium oxide for highly efficient photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes in aqueous solution

Harnessing ZnCr2O4/g-C3N4 nanosheet heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B and ciprofloxacin

Utilizing semiconductors for photocatalytic processes in water bodies as an approach to environmental remediation has gained considerable attention. Theoretical band position calculations revealed a type-II step-scheme charge flow mechanism for ZnCr2O4/g-C3N4 (ZCr/gCN), emphasizing effective heterojunction formation due to synergies between the materials. A composite of agglomerated nanoparticle ZnCr2O4 (Zinc chromium oxide - ZCr)/g-C3N4 (graphitic carbon nitride - gCN) nanosheets was synthesized using the ultrasonication and leveraging the heterojunction to enhance degradation efficiency and active sites participation. The synthesized sample was characterized by XRD, XPS, FTIR, BET, HRSEM, EDX, HRTEM, EIS PL, and UV-visible spectroscopy. XRD analysis confirmed the successful formation of pure ZnCr2O4, g-C3N4 (gCN), and their composite without any secondary phases. Optical investigations demonstrated a red shift (444-470 nm) in UV-visible spectra as ZnCr2O4 content increased. Morphological assessment via HRSEM unveiled agglomerated nanoparticle and nanosheet structures. FTIR analysis indicated the presence of gCN with the tri-s-triazine breathing mode at 807 cm-1, and the identification of octahedral Zn-O (598.11 cm-1) and tetrahedral Cr-O (447.01 cm-1) metal bonds within the spinel structure of ZnCr2O4. A Surface area of 134.162 m2/g was noticed with a microporous structure of pore radius 1.484 nm. Notably, the 15% ZCr/gCN composite achieved a remarkable 93.94 % (Rhodamine B-RhB) and 74.36 % (Ciprofloxacin - CIP) within 100 and 120 min, surpassing the performance of pure gCN. Improved degradation was attributed to higher charge separation (photo-excited electrons and holes), reducing charge recombination, as supported by photoluminescence and photoelectrochemical analyses. The presence of active species like superoxide during degradation was confirmed through a scavenger test. The stability analysis confirms the sample's stable nature (without secondary phase formation) after degradation. This work underscores the potential of ZnCr2O4 based metal-free compounds intended for effective environmental remediation.

An investigation of Ca-doped MgO nanoparticles for the improved catalytic degradation of thiamethoxam pesticide subjected to visible light irradiation

The remediation of pesticides from the environment is one of the most important technology nowadays. Herein, magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles and calcium-doped magnesium oxide (Ca-doped MgO) nanoparticles were synthesized by the co-precipitation method and were used for the degradation of thiamethoxam pesticide in aqueous media. Characterization of the MgO and Ca-doped MgO nanoparticles were performed by XRD, SEM, EDX, and FT-IR analysis to verify the synthesis and variations in chemical composition. The band gap energy and crystalline size of MgO and Ca-doped MgO nanoparticles were found to be 4.8 and 4.7 eV and 33 and 34 nm respectively. The degradation of thiamethoxam was accomplished regarding the impact of catalyst dosage, contact time, temperature, pH, and initial pesticide concentration. The pH study indicates that degradation of thiamethoxam depends on pH and maximum degradation (66%) was obtained at pH 5 using MgO nanoparticles. In contrast, maximum degradation (80%) of thiamethoxam was observed at pH 8 employing Ca-doped MgO nanoparticles. The percentage degradation of thiamethoxam was initially increasing but decreased at higher doses of the catalysts. The degradation of the pesticide was observed to be increased with an increase in contact time while high at room temperature but decreased with a temperature rise. The effect of the initial concertation of pesticide indicates that degradation of pesticide increases at low concentrations but declines at higher concentrations. This research study reveals that doping of MgO nanoparticles with calcium enhanced the degradation of thiamethoxam pesticide in aqueous media.

Ultrahigh-Porosity MgO Microparticles for Heat-Energy Storage

Continuous industrial development has increased the demand of energy. Inevitably, the development of energy sources is steadily progressing using various methods. Rather than establishing a new energy source, a system for storing waste heat generated by industry has now been accepted as a useful strategy. Among such systems, the hydration and dehydration reactions of MgO/Mg(OH)2  are eco-friendly, have relatively low toxicity and risk, and have a large reserves. Therefore, it is a promising candidate for a heat-storage system. In this study, ultrahigh-porosity particles are used to maximize the heat-storage efficiency of pure MgO. Due to its large surface area, the heat storage rate is 90.3% of the theoretical value and the reaction rate is very high. In addition, as structural collapse, likely to be caused by volume changes between reactions, is blocked as the porous region is filled and emptied, the cycle stability is secured. Ultrahigh-porosity MgO microparticles can be used to build eco-friendly heat-storage systems.

A Meta-Analysis of Influencing Factors on the Activity of BiVO4-Based Photocatalysts

With the continuous advancement of global industrialization, a large amount of organic and inorganic pollutants have been discharged into the environment, which is essential for human survival. Consequently, the issue of water environment pollution has become increasingly severe. Photocatalytic technology is widely used to degrade water pollutants due to its strong oxidizing performance and non-polluting characteristics, and BiVO4-based photocatalysts are one of the ideal raw materials for photocatalytic reactions. However, a comprehensive global analysis of the factors influencing the photocatalytic performance of BiVO4-based photocatalysts is currently lacking. Here, we performed a meta-analysis to investigate the differences in specific surface area, kinetic constants, and the pollutant degradation performance of BiVO4-based photocatalysts under different preparation and degradation conditions. It was found that under the loading condition, all the performances of the photocatalysts can be attributed to the single BiVO4 photocatalyst. Moreover, loading could lead to an increase in the specific surface area of the material, thereby providing more adsorption sites for photocatalysis and ultimately enhancing the photocatalytic performance. Overall, the construct heterojunction and loaded nanomaterials exhibit a superior performance for BiVO4-based photocatalysts with 136.4% and 90.1% improvement, respectively. Additionally, within a certain range, the photocatalytic performance increases with the reaction time and temperature.

Facile synthesis of MgO nanoparticles for effective degradation of organic dyes

In the present study, we have synthesized magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles by a facile and cost-effective chemical co-precipitation method with annealing at three different temperatures (350°C, 450°C, and 550°C) for the removal of various organic dyes. X-ray diffraction studies revealed that the prepared samples are having sizes below 20 nm and with pure phase. Phase transformation of hexagonal Mg(OH)₂ nanoparticles to discretely cubical structured MgO nanoparticles has been observed with increasing the annealing temperatures which is also supported by the TGA/DSC analysis. Mg-O stretching vibration peaks in the range of 400-800 cm^-1 obtained by FTIR spectroscopy support the formation of MgO nanoparticles. The observed Raman active bands for the annealed sample at 550°C confirm the formation of the nanocrystalline phase since these bands are typically absent in the bulk MgO as well as in Mg(OH)₂. The surface morphology of the as-prepared Mg(OH)₂ are aggregated nano-petals which changed into spherical shape for MgO annealed at 550°C as studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The specific surface area of MgO nanoparticles annealed at 550°C using BET isotherms is found to be 37.487 m²g^-1. The optical bandgaps of the prepared samples are found to be in the range of 4.4 to 5.1 eV using the Tauc plot. Adsorption studies with a variation of initial brilliant green dye concentration and contact time are carried out along with the studies of adsorption kinetic and isotherm models. Langmuir isotherm model is the most suitable model on the basis of correlation constant with maximum BG dye adsorption capacity onto MgO@550°C which is found to be 63.9 mg/g. The adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second-order model. Also prepared pristine MgO nanoparticles showed significant photocatalytic performance for the degradation of various dyes; brilliant green (BG: 88.91%), methylene blue (MB: 79.05%), crystal violet (CV: 76.49%), methyl orange (MO: 68.62%), and brilliant blue (BB: 40.44%) under visible irradiation. MgO nanoparticles could be a promising adsorbent and photocatalyst that may be employed in the treatment of effluents from industries.

Enhancement of Photocatalytic and Photoelectrochemical Performance of ZnO by Mg Doping: Experimental and Density Functional Theory Insights

Doped ZnO nanostructures have shown great potential for solar energy applications. Considering the compatible ionic radius, Mg atoms can be doped into ZnO at different concentrations. The current work reports a combined experimental and density functional theory study on the influence of the Mg dopant concentration on ZnO performance simultaneously for photocatalytic dye removal and photoelectrochemical water splitting. Among all the samples, Mg(3)-ZnO (3 at. % Mg) exhibits superior sunlight-driven photocatalytic performance. The optimal Mg-ZnO shows an 8-fold increase in the photocatalytic activity compared to the pristine ZnO. Likewise, the most active photocatalyst shows high photoelectrochemical performance with a photocurrent response of 1.54 mA at the lowest onset potential, 11 times higher than the pristine ZnO. Tuning of the Mg content results in the generation of extra charge carriers and a reduced recombination rate, which are the crucial factors responsible for enhanced photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical performance.

Synthesis and characterization of calcium and magnesium based oxides and titanates for photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B: a comparative study

The current investigation deals with the simple and ecological synthesis of CaO, MgO, CaTiO_3, and MgTiO₃ for the photocatalytic dilapidation of rhodamine B dye. CaO was procured from chicken eggshell waste by calcination process, while MgO was produced by solution combustion method using urea as a fuel source. Furthermore, CaTiO₃ and MgTiO₃ were synthesized through an easy and simple solid-state method by mixing thoroughly the synthesized CaO or MgO with TiO₂ before calcination at 900 °C. XRD and EDX investigations confirmed the phase formation of the materials. Moreover, FTIR spectra revealed the existence of Ca-Ti-O, Mg-Ti-O, and Ti-O which resembles the chemical composition of the proposed materials. SEM micrographs revealed that the surface of CaTiO₃ is rougher with relatively dispersed particles compared to MgTiO₃, reflecting a higher surface area of CaTiO₃. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy investigations indicated that the synthesized materials can act as photocatalysts under UV illumination. Accordingly, CaO and CaTiO₃ effectively degraded rhodamine B dye within 120 min with a photodegradation activity of 63% and 72%, respectively. In contrast, the photocatalytic degradation activity of MgO and MgTiO₃ was much lower, since only 21.39 and 29.44% of the dye were degraded, respectively after 120 min of irradiation. Furtheremore, the photocatalytic activity of the mixture from both Ca and Mg titanates was 64.63%. These findings might be valuable for designing potential and affordable photocatalysts for wastewater purification.

Research Progress on Graphitic Carbon Nitride/Metal Oxide Composites: Synthesis and Photocatalytic Applications

Although graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has been reported for several decades, it is still an active material at the present time owing to its amazing properties exhibited in many applications, including photocatalysis. With the rapid development of characterization techniques, in-depth exploration has been conducted to reveal and utilize the natural properties of g-C3N4 through modifications. Among these, the assembly of g-C3N4 with metal oxides is an effective strategy which can not only improve electron-hole separation efficiency by forming a polymer-inorganic heterojunction, but also compensate for the redox capabilities of g-C3N4 owing to the varied oxidation states of metal ions, enhancing its photocatalytic performance. Herein, we summarized the research progress on the synthesis of g-C3N4 and its coupling with single- or multiple-metal oxides, and its photocatalytic applications in energy production and environmental protection, including the splitting of water to hydrogen, the reduction of CO2 to valuable fuels, the degradation of organic pollutants and the disinfection of bacteria. At the end, challenges and prospects in the synthesis and photocatalytic application of g-C3N4-based composites are proposed and an outlook is given.

The enhanced photocatalytic performance and first-principles computational insights of Ba doping-dependent TiO2 quantum dots

Degradation in the presence of visible light is essential for successfully removing dyes from industrial wastewater, which is pivotal for environmental and ecological safety. In recent years, photocatalysis has emerged as a prominent technology for wastewater treatment. This study aimed to improve the photocatalytic efficiency of synthesized TiO2 quantum dots (QDs) under visible light by barium (Ba) doping. For this, different weight ratios (2% and 4%) of Ba-doped TiO2 QDs were synthesized under ambient conditions via a simple and modified chemical co-precipitation approach. The QD crystal structure, functional groups, optical features, charge-carrier recombination, morphological properties, interlayer spacing, and presence of dopants were analyzed. The results showed that for 4% Ba-doped TiO2, the effective photocatalytic activity in the degradation process of methylene blue (MB) dye was 99.5% in an alkaline medium. Density functional theory analysis further corroborated that the band gap energy was reduced when Ba was doped into the TiO2 lattice, implying a considerable redshift of the absorption edge due to in-gap states near the valence band.

Synthesis and characterization of pristine and strontium-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles for methyl green photo-degradation application

Herein we describe an effective route for the degradation of methyl green (MG) dye under visible light illumination by pristine and strontium (Sr)-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) photocatalysts (synthesized by the simple chemical precipitation method). The x-ray diffraction structural analysis has confirmed that both photocatalysts exhibit the hexagonal wurtzite structure; without any additional phase formation in Sr-doped ZnO, in particular. The optical properties of the synthesized photocatalysts have been investigated using UV-vis absorption spectroscopy in the wavelength range of 250-800 nm. Through Tauc's plot, the slight decrease from 3.3 to 3.2 eV in band gap energy has been elucidated (in the case of Sr-doped ZnO), which has been further confirmed by the quenching in the intensity of Photoluminescence (PL) emission spectrum. This may be due to sub-band level formation between valence and conduction band, caused by the impregnation of Sr²⁺ions into ZnO host. The morphological study has also been performed using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope, which indicates nanoparticles (NPs) based surface texture for both photocatalysts. During the photocatalytic activity study, after 30 min irradiation of visible light, ∼65.7% and ∼84.8% photocatalytic degradation of MG dye has been achieved for pristine and Sr-doped (2 wt%) ZnO photocatalysts, respectively. The rate of photocatalytic reaction (K) has been observed to be ∼0.06399 min^-1for Sr-doped (2 wt%), whereas nearly half magnitude ∼0.03403 min^-1has been observed for pristine ZnO, respectively. The significantly improved photodegradation activity may be ascribed to the relatively broader optical absorption capability, surface defects and the enhanced charge separation efficiency of the Sr-doped ZnO photocatalyst.

ZnO-CdO nanocomposites incorporated with graphene oxide nanosheets for efficient photocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A, thymol blue and ciprofloxacin

The widespread existence of different organic contaminants mostly phenolic compounds, organic dyes and antibiotics in water bodies initiated by the various industrial wastes that raised great scientific concern and public awareness as well recently owing to their prospective capability to spread these contaminants resistant gene and pose hazard to human. In the present study, a series of nanostructured ZnO-CdO incorporated with reduced graphene oxide (ZCG nanocomposites) were successfully synthesized by a simple refluxing method and characterized by using the X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, field emission-scanning microscope (FE-SEM) and UV-visible diffused reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) for the photocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A (BPA), thymol blue (ThB) and ciprofloxacin (CFn) with illumination of UV light. The maximum degradation and mineralization of BPA, ThB and CFn was achieved around 98.5%, 98.38% and 99.28% over the ZCG-5 nanocomposite photocatalyst after UV light irradiation for 180 min, 120 min and 75 min, respectively. The superior photocatalytic activity of ZCG-5 ascribed to enhance adsorption capacity, effective separation of charge carriers consequential for the production of more ROS after incorporation of RGO nanosheets with ZnO-CdO in photocatalyst. The conceivable photocatalytic degradation mechanism of BPA, ThB and CFn was elucidated through ROS identification and the assessment of photocatalyst stability by reusability, EEO (kwh/m³order) and UV light dose (mJ/cm²) were evaluated. The plausible photocatalytic degradation pathways were proposed for the degradation of BPA, ThB and CFn via GC-MS analysis. The present work investigates the efficient removal of BPA, ThB and CFn using ZCG nanocomposites as photocatalyst.

Review on Methylene Blue: Its Properties, Uses, Toxicity and Photodegradation

The unavailability of clean drinking water is one of the significant health issues in modern times. Industrial dyes are one of the dominant chemicals that make water unfit for drinking. Among these dyes, methylene blue (MB) is toxic, carcinogenic, and non-biodegradable and can cause a severe threat to human health and environmental safety. It is usually released in natural water sources, which becomes a health threat to human beings and living organisms. Hence, there is a need to develop an environmentally friendly, efficient technology for removing MB from wastewater. Photodegradation is an advanced oxidation process widely used for MB removal. It has the advantages of complete mineralization of dye into simple and nontoxic species with the potential to decrease the processing cost. This review provides a tutorial basis for the readers working in the dye degradation research area. We not only covered the basic principles of the process but also provided a wide range of previously published work on advanced photocatalytic systems (single-component and multi-component photocatalysts). Our study has focused on critical parameters that can affect the photodegradation rate of MB, such as photocatalyst type and loading, irradiation reaction time, pH of reaction media, initial concentration of dye, radical scavengers and oxidising agents. The photodegradation mechanism, reaction pathways, intermediate products, and final products of MB are also summarized. An overview of the future perspectives to utilize MB at an industrial scale is also provided. This paper identifies strategies for the development of effective MB photodegradation systems.

Enhanced antibacterial activity of acid treated MgO nanoparticles on Escherichia coli

Acid treatment is one of the effective methods that directly modifies surface physical and chemical properties of inorganic materials, which improves the materials' application potential. In this work, the surface modified MgO nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared through a facile acid-treatment method at room temperature. Compared with the untreated sample, the surviving Escherichia coli (E. coli, ATCC 25922) colonies of the modified MgO NPs decreased from 120 to 54 (10² CFU mL^-1). The enhanced antibacterial activity may be due to the improvement of oxygen vacancies and absorbed oxygen (O_A) content (from 41.6% to 63.1%) as confirmed by electron spin resonance (ESR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). These findings revealed that the acid treatment method could directly modify the surface of MgO NPs to expose more oxygen vacancies, which would promote reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. The membrane tube and single ROS scavenging results further indicated that the increased antibacterial ability originated from the synergetic effect of ROS damage (especially ˙O₂ ^-) and direct contact between H-MgO NPs and E. coli.

An overview on non-spherical semiconductors for heterogeneous photocatalytic degradation of organic water contaminants

Because of their carcinogenicity and mutagenicity, the elimination of organic contaminants from surface and subsurface water is a subject of environmental significance. Conventional water decontamination approaches such as membrane separation, ultrafiltration, adsorption, reverse osmosis, coagulation, etc., have relatively higher operating costs and can generate highly toxic secondary contaminants. On the other hand, heterogeneous photocatalysis, an advanced oxidation process (AOP), is considered a clean and cost-effective process for organic pollutants degradation. Owing to their distinctive structure and physicochemical properties non-spherical semiconductors have gained considerable limelight in the photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminants. The current review briefly introduces a wide range of organic water contaminants. Recent advances in non-spherical semiconductor assembly and their photocatalytic degradation applications are highlighted. The underlying mechanism, fundamentals of photocatalytic reactions, and the factors affecting the degradation performance are also alluded including the current challenges and future research perspectives.

Moringa oleifera Leaf Extract-Mediated Green Synthesis of Nanostructured Alkaline Earth Oxide (MgO) and Its Physicochemical Properties

The magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO NPs) were prepared from Moringa oleifera leaf extract. Phytochemicals are derived from plant extract which are served as stabilizing and capping agents. This green route has been attracted owing to speed, reliable, and eco-friendly and cost-effective one. The synthesized magnesium oxide nanoparticles were taken into three different calcination temperatures (500, 600, and 700°C). The powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) study shows a pure phase of face-centered cubic structure. Periclase MgO nanoparticles were prepared. The optical band gap of MgO nanoparticles is 4.5 eV, and its absorption in the UV region was observed by UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). Photoluminescence spectra have exhibited multicolor emissions were being at UV and visible region due to defect centers (F centers) of MgO nanoparticles. EDX (energy dispersive X-ray spectrum) has given the stoichiometric ratio of Mg and O. The functional groups have been studied by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), surface morphology transformation has been identified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies, and VSM measurements have given the information of diamagnetic nature of MgO nanoparticles. H-R TEM micrographs have confirmed that particles were in nanorange matched with XRD report. Polycrystalline nature has been observed pattern information. TG-DSC characterization revealed phase transition and weight loss information. D-band and G-band of MgO nanoparticles are studied by micro-Raman analysis. Dielectric analysis has proven that MgO nanoparticles will be a promising candidate for linear dielectric ceramics, thermistor. The present resent studies have revealed that MgO powder will be an economical and promising candidate in superconductor, optoelectronic device, and energy storage applications.

Efficient degradation of organic dye using Ni-MOF derived NiCo-LDH as peroxymonosulfate activator

Nickel-based metal-organic framework (Ni-MOF) was employed as a sacrificial template for the preparation of nickel-cobalt layered double hydroxide (NiCo-LDH) under different hydrolysis time. The template etching rate varied at different hydrolysis time, resulting in variations of the structural and morphology of NiCo-LDHs. The NiCo-LDH/10 sample showed a large specific surface area and the well-oriented larger dimension of thinner sheets due to the sufficient in-situ etching of the Ni-MOF template. The NiCo-LDH/10 was an excellent heterogeneous catalyst to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for highly efficient Reactive Red-120 dye degradation. The results exhibited that the degradation efficiency of the NiCo-LDH/10-PMS catalyst was 89% for RR-120 dye within 10 min in the presence of the PMS system, which is higher than other NiCo-LDHs. Moreover, the other influencing factors such as PMS concentration, catalyst dosage, initial pH were also investigated towards degradation. The radical quenching measurement proved that the sulfate (SO₄^•-) and hydroxyl (OH^•) had been indicated as the primary radicals. Besides, the NiCo-LDH/10-PMS catalyst showed excellent reusability even after five consecutive cycles (83.6% of the degradation efficiency). This work offer insight study on the construction of controlled morphology NiCo-LDH heterogeneous structure for high-efficiency PMS activation.

Graphene Oxide-Doped MgO Nanostructures for Highly Efficient Dye Degradation and Bactericidal Action

Various concentrations (0.01, 0.03 and 0.05 wt ratios) of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were doped into magnesium oxide (MgO) nanostructures using chemical precipitation technique. The objective was to study the effect of GO dopant concentrations on the catalytic and antibacterial behavior of fixed amount of MgO. XRD technique revealed cubic phase of MgO, while its crystalline nature was confirmed through SAED profiles. Functional groups presence and Mg-O (443 cm-1) in fingerprint region was evident with FTIR spectroscopy. Optical properties were recorded via UV-visible spectroscopy with redshift pointing to a decrease in band gap energy from 5.0 to 4.8 eV upon doping. Electron-hole recombination behavior was examined through photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Raman spectra exhibited D band (1338 cm-1) and G band (1598 cm-1) evident to GO doping. Formation of nanostructure with cubic and hexagon morphology was confirmed with TEM, whereas interlayer average d-spacing of 0.23 nm was assessed using HR-TEM. Dopants existence and evaluation of elemental constitution Mg, O were corroborated using EDS technique. Catalytic activity against methyl blue ciprofloxacin (MBCF) was significantly reduced (45%) for higher GO dopant concentration (0.05), whereas bactericidal activity of MgO against E. coli was improved significantly (4.85 mm inhibition zone) upon doping with higher concentration (0.05) of GO, owing to the formation of nanorods.

Approaches to synthesize MgO nanostructures for diverse applications

Magnesium oxide remained interesting from long time for several important phenomena like; defect induced magnetism, spin electron reflectivity, broad laser emission etc. Moreover, nanostructures of this material exhibited suitability for different kinds of applications ranging from wastewater treatment to spintronics depending upon their shape and size. In this way, researchers had grown nanostructures in the form of nanoparticles, thin films, nanotubes, nanowalls, nanobelts. Though nanoparticles and thin films are well known form of nanostructures and wide variety of synthesis approaches are available, however, limited methodology for other nanostructures are available. In order to grow these nanostructures in an optimized way an understanding of these methods is essential. Thus, this review article depicts an overview of various approaches for design of different kinds of nanostructures.

Experimental dataset on preparation and characterization of black sand mineral-based as photocatalyst

Heterogeneous photocatalysis with natural minerals (geocatalysis) has been considered for a wide variety of redox processes, which require the participation of metals either as catalysts or promoters in the reactive system. Black mineral sand as raw material (RM), which is a natural composite frequently found in coastal deposits, was used for the preparation of a semiconductor potential. Due to iron content of mineral, it was applied several magnetic fields (0.0311 and 0.1645 Tesla) to obtain the fractions M1 and M2, respectively. The fraction that was not magnetically attracted was named NM. The chemical, structural and optical properties of each obtained composite were characterized by Zeta potential (ζ), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), energy-dispersive X-Ray analysis (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), BET area, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and UV-Vis spectroscopy techniques.

Mg0.8Zn0.2O microspheres: preparation, characterization and application for degrading organic dyes

Photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater is one of the most promising strategies for environmental remediation, and photocatalysts as the prerequisite have received considerable attention.