A FACILE NOVEL SYNTHESIS OF ThO2/Fe3O4 NANOCOMPOSITE WITH ENHANCED PHOTOCATALYTIC ACTIVITY FOR THE DEGRADATION OF MALACHITE GREEN UNDER VISIBLE LIGHT IRRADIATION

An innovative magnetically separable ThO2/Fe3O4 nanocomposite was successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method. The synthesized ThO2/Fe3O4 nanocomposite was characterized by UV-DRS, FT-IR, XRD, HR-TEM, BET, and TGA techniques. XRD and HR-TEM images displayed the overall spherical shape and confirmed the formation of well crystalline ThO2/Fe3O4 nanocomposite. The catalytic efficiency of ThO2/Fe3O4 was explored for the removal of malachite green dye (MG) from the aqueous phase. The degradation efficiency of about 99.53% was obtained, and the degradation reaction was maximal at pH 5. The results revealed that the synthesized ThO2/Fe3O4 nanocomposite showed enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to the ThO2 and Fe3O4 samples. Based on obtained results, the most plausible mechanism for removal MG has been proposed. The ThO2/Fe3O4 photocatalyst remained a robust performer even after five cycles. This nanocomposite is an effective visible light responsive material which can be used for the removal of various organic pollutants from the environment.