Decorating 2D graphene oxides sheets with spherical shaped Fe3O4 for the applications of supercapacitors and sunlight induced sonophotocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye

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This study introduces a versatile nanocomposite material composed of Fe3O4 and GO/Fe3O4, demonstrating remarkable enhancements in sonication involved sonophotocatalytic and supercapacitor applications. The GO/Fe3O4 nanocomposite (NCs) were synthesized through a facile chemical precipitation method and subjected to comprehensive characterization using diverse techniques, including Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The successful synthesis of both Fe3O4 and GO/Fe3O4 NCs was confirmed through XRD analysis, while UV-Vis measurements indicated a reduced bandgap for the nanocomposites. FESEM and TEM examinations unveiled a uniform distribution of Fe3O4 nanoparticles over the GO nanosheets, reinforcing the meticulous design of the nanostructure. Leveraging their unique properties, the synthesized nanocomposites were employed as efficient sonication and sun-light driven photocatalysts for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye. Impressively, the GO/Fe3O4 NCs exhibited exceptional sonophotocatalytic process, achieving rapid degradation rates (98.68% in 30 min) for MB dye under direct sunlight exposure. Furthermore, the engineered nanocomposites demonstrated outstanding suitability as electrode materials for supercapacitor applications. The GO/Fe3O4 NCs showcased a peak specific capacitance of 690.03 Fg−1 at a current density of 1 Ag−1 was achieved, with the cyclic stability remaining at 91% after 8000 cycles. The enhanced catalytic and the specific capacitance is due to the synergistic effect create between the Fe3O4 NPs and GO via the effective bonding of Fe-O-C. These findings reveals that the prepared nanohybrid is effective material for the dye degradation and the energy storage applications.