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

In this study, Ca2Fe2O5 and Ca2Fe2O5-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 Ca2Fe2O5 and Ca2Fe2O5-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 Ca2Fe2O5-TiO2 compared to Ca2Fe2O5. TEM analysis showed that Ca2Fe2O5 exhibits a flake-like morphology, while Ca2Fe2O5-TiO2 showed a mixed morphology with TiO2 nanoparticles dispersed on the flakes of Ca2Fe2O5. 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/H2O2/Ca2Fe2O5-TiO2 system had superior degradation efficiency compared to the UV/H2O2/Ca2Fe2O5 system, particularly at high dye concentrations. The photocatalytic data for both Ca2Fe2O5 and Ca2Fe2O5-TiO2 followed first-order kinetics. The present study suggests that Ca2Fe2O5-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.