Sol-gel synthesis of IONPs for Photocatalytic activities

Iron chloride (FeCl2+FeCl3) salt and Gardenia extract were combined using the sol-gel method to produce iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs). The biomolecules in Gardenia extract, according to the study, can convert iron salts to IONPs. The technique modifies the phases, shape, size and purity of iron oxide NPs from FeCl2+FeCl3 to ε-Fe2O3. Methylene blue removal from water requires ε-Fe2O3 NPs in water treatment (MB). For the identification of IONPs, techniques such as XRD, Photoluminescence spectroscopy, ultraviolet microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy were all used. Results from XRD indicated that the average crystal size of 78.85 nm for ε-Fe2O3NPs synthesised using the Sol-gel technique. The diffraction results showed tetragonal peaks, and the crystal quality was outstanding. A range of particle sizes (9.04 to 54.65 nm) and an average grain size of 23.67 nm were used in the sol-gel process. From 1.94 eV to 3.12 eV, a shift in the sol-gel method's energy gap was seen in UV-VIS studies. The near band edge emission of ε-Fe2O3 NPs with a sol-gel method was around 2.74 eV, according to PL spectroscopy. Photocatalytic activity was demonstrated in this work, with the breakdown of MB dye occurring when the NPs were exposed to a modest amount of light. At 75 minutes for 3 mg and 150 minutes for 5 mg, the degrading efficiency of ε-Fe2O3 NPs reached 90.3 percent and 94 percent, respectively, with significant photocatalytic efficacy, according to the results of this study.