Studies on Photocatalytic Degradation of Phenol Red over CaFe₂ O₅ and CaFe₂O₅-TiO₂ nanocomposite

In this study, Ca₂ Fe₂O₅ and Ca₂ Fe₂ O₅-TiO₂ nanomaterials were synthesized using a microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis method, followed by calcination at 900°C for 10 hours. The materials were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The band gap energy (Eg) of Ca₂ Fe₂ O₅ and Ca₂Fe₂ O₅-TiO₂ was determined to be approximately 2.48 and 3.64 eV, respectively. Including the TiO₂ component resulted in a significant increase of 1.16 eV in the band gap energy of Ca₂Fe₂ O₅-TiO₂ compared to Ca₂ Fe₂O₅. TEM analysis showed that Ca₂ Fe₂ O₅ exhibits a flake-like morphology, while Ca₂ Fe₂ O₅-TiO₂ showed a mixed morphology with TiO₂ nanoparticles dispersed on the flakes of Ca₂ Fe₂ O₅. The photocatalytic activity of the materials was evaluated for phenol red dye degradation in aqueous solutions having concentrations from 10 to 1000 ppm, and it found that the UV/H₂ O₂ /Ca₂ Fe₂O₅-TiO₂ system had superior degradation efficiency compared to the UV/H₂ O₂ /Ca₂ Fe₂O₅ system, particularly at high dye concentrations. The photocatalytic data for both Ca₂ Fe₂ O₅ and Ca₂ Fe₂ O₅-TiO₂ followed first-order kinetics. The present study suggests that Ca₂ Fe₂ O₅-TiO₂ could be a cost-effective material for efficiently removing dyes from industrial wastewater. The findings contribute to the potential application of these nanomaterials in environmental remediation and water treatment processes.