Enhancement of photocatalytic potential and recoverability of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles by decorating over monoclinic zirconia

Background: Photodegradation of organic pollutants is considered to be the most suitable and cheaper technique to counter the decontamination issues. Metal nanoparticles are considered to be the most effective heterogeneous photocatalysts for photodegradation of organic pollutants. Besides, iron oxide nanoparticles are well-known photocatalysts for degrading organic pollutants. Methods: We reported the synthesis of neat iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄ NPs) and zirconia supported iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄/ZrO₂ NPs) by facile chemical reduction technique for photodegradation ofa toxic azo dye namely methyl red. Results: The XRD and FTIR analysis has demonstrated a crystalline phase Fe₃O₄ NPs. The morphological features via scanning electronic microscopy (FESEM) suggested agglomerated morphology of neat Fe₃O₄ NPs with 803.54 ± 5.11 nm average particle size and revealed the uniform morphology and homogenous dispersion of Fe₃O₄ NPs over ZrO₂ surface in Fe₃O₄/ZrO₂ nanocomposite. A polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.47 showed sufficient variations in the particle size of neat Fe₃O₄ NPs, which is also supported by the results obtained from atomic force microscopy (AFM), FESEM and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Fe₃O₄/ZrO₂ NPs demonstrated efficient methyl red degradation over a short period of time under simulated light and degraded about ~ 91.0 ± 1.0% and 87.0 ± 1.0% dye in 40 min, under UV and visible light, respectively. Conclusion: The excellent photodegradation efficacy and sustainability of Fe₃O₄/ZrO₂ NPs can be attributed to the homogenous distribution of Fe₃O₄ NPs over ZrO₂, which facilitates the generation of photoexcitons (electrons and holes), enhanced charge transfer and minimize the charge recombination.