Abstract
ABSTRACT In this work, we introduce a new composite material consisting of Mn(1-x)ZnxFe2O4 (MZF) and wasted coffee grounds carbon (C). Crucially, the surface chemistry of the composite, which lacks Zn2+ ions in octahedral locations, highlights its distinctive structural characteristics. Before the integration of the carbon composite, the saturation magnetisation of the sample was recorded as 53.073 emu/g. However, it decreased to 45.49 emu/g after the composite was formed and the reaction processes occurred. UV-spectroscopy enabled the measurement of band gap energies, which showed that the band gap energies for ferrite were 2.93 eV and for the MZF/C composite were 2.12 eV. By utilising plasmonic photocatalysis, the MZF/C composite has shown exceptional effectiveness as a high-temperature photocatalyst, specifically in the breakdown of methylene blue (MB) and Eosin (EO) dyes, which are representative of basic and acidic dyes, respectively. The study demonstrated enhanced photocatalytic degradation kinetics under both visible light and sunlight, with sunlight showing superior performance. Over a 120-min period, the ferrite composite achieved a removal efficiency of 89% under sunlight, compared to 68% under artificial light. By utilising plasmonic photocatalysis principles, this work clarifies the structural and optical properties of the MZF/C composite and emphasises its capacity to tackle environmental issues through effective dye degradation mechanisms.
Published Version
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