Comprehensive Investigation of Structural and Photocatalytic Properties of Cobalt and Nickel Co-Doped Magnesium Oxide Nanoparticles

Cobalt and Nickel (Co, Ni) co-doped magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles (NPs) have been synthesized using the coprecipitation method. The structural, chemical, and optical properties of the as-synthesized NPs are systematically investigated using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and UV-visible spectroscopy. It is found that the optical bandgap of co-doped MgO NPs reduces from 2.30 to 1.98 eV (14%) with increasing Ni dopant concentrations up to 7%. The Co0.05Ni0.07Mg0.88O NPs exhibit a high photocatalytic degradation efficiency of 93% for methylene blue dye (MB) under natural sunlight irradiation for 240 min. Our findings indicate that the Co0.05NixMg0.95−xO NPs have strong potential for use as photocatalysts in industrial wastewater treatment.