Biogenically engineered magnetic Fe2O3 coupled with anatase TiO2 nanomaterials for effective photocatalytic study

Environment friendly synthesis route for fabrication of series of magnetic Fe₂O₃ coupled anatase TiO₂ nanocomposites (FT-1 to FT-4 NCs) utilizing Azadirachta Indica (neem) leaf extract as a biogenic reducing and stabilizing agent is reported. In this study, iron and titanium precursors were reacted with neem leaf extract under controlled experimental conditions, facilitating the creation of nanocomposites through a cost-effective and ecological process. Phytochemicals inherently present in neem such as flavonoids, terpenoids, and phenolics played a pivotal role in the reduction of metal ions and stabilization of the nanoparticles. The successful synthesis and structural amalgamation of Fe₂O₃ and TiO₂ at nanoscale were confirmed by exploiting various structural and morphological characterization techniques. Amid the series of green nanomaterials, FT-3 NCs showed best degradation efficiency of 92.13% for xylenol orange dye under solar light, which confirmed the excellent catalytic activity of the fresh composite. On multiple reuses, however, there was a gradual loss in efficiency, and the efficiency decreased to 62.42% after six cycles. The nanocomposites exhibited improved surface characteristics, enhanced thermal stability, and promising photocatalytic activity, rendering it suitable for potential applications in environmental remediation.