Heterogeneous Ternary Metal Oxide Nanocomposites for Improved Advanced Oxidation Process under Visible Light

Here, heterogeneous ternary metal oxide CdO:TiO2:ZnO (coded as CTZ0, CTZ1, CTZ2, CTZ3, CTZ4) nanocomposites are synthesized by a sol-gel precipitation method for the advanced oxidation process (AOP) under visible light. The structure, texture, and surface morphology of heterogeneous nanocomposites are identified by X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy, respectively, while the optical property is investigated by UV-vis spectrophotometry. Furthermore, mixed phases such as anatase and rutile TiO2, cubic CdO and hexagonal ZnO, as well as a mixture of morphology, viz., nanorod, nanoflakes, cluster, and aggregation of particles are observed concurrently for sample CTZ3. The reflectance of heterogeneous CdO:TiO2:ZnO nanocomposites is recorded in the visible wavelength range from 400 to 800 nm and optical bandgap is varied from 1.91 to 2.20 eV for samples CTZ1-CTZ4. The effect of weight load 5 g L(-1)of heterogeneous nanocomposites is evaluated for degradation of organic dyes at neutral pH and obtains the highest efficiency for sample CTZ3 as 99.6% and 99.4% in methyl orange and methylene blue, respectively. Both biological oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand values are reduced followed by AOP increasing the number of pollutant molecules for absorption in the mixture.