Environmental friendly and robust Mg0.5-xCuxZn0.5Fe2O4 spinel nanoparticles for visible light driven degradation of Carbamazepine: Band shift driven by dopants

Environmental friendly and robust Mg0.5-xCuxZn0.5Fe2O4(x = 0, 0.01 & 0.02) nano-photocatalyst was prepared by facile solution combustion method for high performance photocatalytic removal of carbamazepine (CBZ). Mg0.3Cu0.2Zn0.5Fe2O4 catalyst shows 94.3% degradation in 90 min visible exposure and 78.2% total organic carbon (TOC) removal. The Cu dopant driven conduction band shifting to more negative side leads to improved center dot O-2(-) formation supported by electron spin resonance (ESR) probe. The dopants and metal redox cycles lead to higher visible absorption and reduced recombination boosting the CBZ removal. The degradation pathway and photocatalytic mechanism is also predicted. (c) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

An environmentally friendly and durable Mg0.5-xCuxZn0.5Fe2O4 (x = 0, 0.01 & 0.02) nano-photocatalyst was prepared using a facile solution combustion method for the efficient photocatalytic removal of carbamazepine. The Cu-doped catalyst exhibited a degradation rate of 94.3% under visible light exposure for 90 minutes, with a 78.2% removal of total organic carbon (TOC). The introduction of Cu dopants led to a shift in the conduction band to promote the formation of O-2(-) radicals, enhancing the photocatalytic activity.