Natural sunlight-driven photocatalytic degradation of methyl blue using spinel MgAl 2 O 4 -rGO nanocomposite

Spinel magnesium aluminate (MgAl 2 O 4 ) anchored reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposite (MgAl 2 O 4 -rGO) was synthesized through a facile chemical precipitation route for augmented photocatalytic behavior. XRD, SEM, and FTIR were done to investigate the structure, morphology, and functional groups of the spinel MgAl 2 O 4 -rGO nanocomposite. UV–vis spectroscopy showed a reduction in the bandgap from 3.02 to 2.82 eV. MgAl 2 O 4 -rGO proved itself a better photocatalyst with photocatalytic efficiency (99.9%) by degrading Methyl Blue (MB) in 70 min under natural sunlight irradiation. Moreover, it demonstrated excellent cyclic stability and reusability (97%) even after six cycles. The augmentation in photocatalytic properties is mainly attributed to rGO which helped to enhance the surface area, reduced electron–hole recombination, and provided more active sites. In the future, spinel MgAl 2 O 4 -rGO nanocomposite may be an auspicious candidate for the exclusion of waste-water pollutants in industries.