Magnetically Separable CdO-TiO2-CuO Ternary Nanocomposite Photocatalyst for Effective Degradation of RhB under Visible-Light Irradiation

CdO-TiO2-CuO ternary composite has been synthesized by a precipitation method and its photocatalytic and magnetic properties studied. The results are compared with its single and binary entities and reported materials. Peaks related to cubic, anatase, and monoclinic CuO, TiO2, and CuO were observed in the x-ray diffraction pattern of the ternary composite. Energy-dispersive x-ray and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses confirmed the presence of Cd, Ti, Cu, and O in the ternary composite, and their uniform distribution was well confirmed by mapping images. The optical bandgap values of CdO, TiO2, CdO-TiO2, CuO, and CdO-TiO2-CuO nanoparticles were found to be 2.48 eV, 3.14 eV, 2.72 eV, 1.69 eV, and 2.32 eV, respectively. The ternary composite exhibited a maximum rhodamine B (RhB) dye degradation efficiency of 91.2% under visible-light illumination. The removable and regenerable nature of the ternary composite catalyst is due to its enhanced ferromagnetic behavior. Recycling tests confirmed the more stable nature of the synthesized ternary composite catalyst.