Physicochemical and photocatalytic properties of Ag 2 CrO 4 /Fe 2 O 3 /CeO 2 ternary nanocomposite.

The study presents Ag 2 CrO 4 /Fe 2 O 3 /CeO 2 ternary nanocomposite, based on Fe 2 O 3 /CeO 2 binary composites, which demonstrated excellent photocatalytic performance in the photodegradation of methylene blue under solar irradiation. The Ag 2 CrO 4 /Fe 2 O 3 /CeO 2 nanocomposites was orthorhombic, ilmenite, and cubic-fluorite phases of Ag 2 CrO 4 , Fe 2 O 3 , and CeO 2 , respectively, according to the XRD examination. A strong bond between Ag 2 CrO 4 , Fe 2 O 3 , and CeO 2 within the nanocomposite was demonstrated by the SEM and TEM investigations. Moreover, it was discovered that the coupling of Ag 2 CrO 4 and Fe 2 O 3 caused a red shift and moved CeO 2 absorption edge from the UV to the visible spectrum. The reason behind this is that the band gap of CeO 2 reduced 2.85 to 2.69 eV and the absorbance band intensity increased in visible region. Utilizing visible light, Ag 2 CrO 4 /Fe 2 O 3 /CeO 2 ternary nanocomposites exhibit enhanced photocatalytic properties (98.90%) for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) within 100 min. The long-term reliability and recyclability of the photocatalyst were explored through 3 successive cycles. An active radical quenching test was conducted to elucidate the involvement of O 2 - and OH which are the primary reactive species in the photocatalytic breakdown of MB. Ag 2 CrO 4 /Fe 2 O 3 /CeO 2 ternary nanocomposites displayed notable improvements in photodegradation activity, making them well suited for the effective removal of hazardous dyes present in textile effluents.