A Facile Synthesis of Montmorillonite Supported CdAl2O4 Nanocomposites with Photocatalytic and Hydrophobic Properties

The hydrothermal co-precipitation method was successfully employed to synthesize CdAl2O4 supported by natural clay, montmorillonite to reduce the toxicity of solid and liquid wastes that cause serious harm to livestock and humans due to the discharge of dye wastes into water bodies. Characterization of the montmorillonite/CdAl2O4 (MMT/CdAl2O4) composite was carried out using various techniques, including X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and BET surface area analysis. Experimental results indicate that CdAl2O4 supported by montmorillonite at a 9% wt concentration exhibited superior photocatalytic activity compared to undoped CdAl2O4 in the removal of the azo dye rhodamine-B (rh-B) under solar light irradiation. The FE-SEM images clearly reveal the formation of nanoclusters and nanoflakes interconnected via edge-to-flat-surface conjunction. Furthermore, BET analysis demonstrated that the surface area of MMT/CdAl2O4 surpasses that of undoped CdAl2O4. Remarkably, montmorillonite-supported CdAl2O4 exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity for up to four consecutive uses. A notable feature of montmorillonite/ CdAl2O4 is its high hydrophobicity, as evidenced by a contact angle of 113.8°. This hydrophobic nature is particularly advantageous in the production of self-cleaning materials.