Physical characterizations of Sn1-xZn2xCr2O5 nanocomposites and their adsorption performance towards methylene blue

Herein, the structure, thermal stability, optical, magnetic characteristics, and adsorption performance towards methylene blue (MB) of Sn1-xZn2xCr2O5 nanocomposites (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.8, and 1), prepared by the hydrothermal method, were investigated. The crystal structures, elemental chemical compositions and surface morphology were conducted using XRD, TEM, EDX, and SEM techniques. The structural parameters significantly depend on the elemental composition. For example, a tetragonal SnO2 phase was formed at x = 0, and 0.2, while a spinel-structured ZnCr2O4 was formed at x >= 0.4 beside the orthorhombic CrO3 phases. The mass magnetic susceptibility and magnetization of the Sn1-xZn2xCr2O5 nanocomposites displayed a weak room temperature ferromagnetism behavior. The maximum surface area (100.89 m(2)/g), evaluated via the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method, was achieved for Sn0.6Zn0.8Cr2O5 nanocomposite. The optical band gap and Urbach energy show opposite trends and are slightly influenced by Zn content. Moreover, the impact of the Zn2+ ratio on the structure, optical, thermal stability, and magnetic characteristics was correlated. The adsorption performance of the Sn1-xZn2xCr2O5 nanocomposite (0 <= x <= 0.6) revealed an excellent removal efficiency (max similar to 87.64%) towards MB dye with apparent rate kinetic constant of 44.9 x 10(-2) min(-1).

Automated summary

In this study, Sn1-xZn2xCr2O5 nanocomposites were prepared by the hydrothermal method, and their structure, properties, and adsorption performance were investigated. The results showed that the crystal structure and magnetic properties were dependent on the elemental composition, and the nanocomposites exhibited excellent adsorption performance towards MB dye.