Design and preparation of novel LaFeO3/NiFe2O4 nanohybrid for highly efficient photodegradation of methylene blue dye under visible light illumination

Most dyes are carcinogenic; thus, they must be removed from the water to save aquatic and human life. Among the various methods, the photocatalytic degradation of dyes is attracting much attention due to the easy strategy driven by the solar light. Herein, we report the fabrication of nickel ferrite (NiFO), lanthanum ferrite (LFO) and their composite are utilized as a light-driven catalyst for the deprivation of significant commercial dyes. The straightforward microemulsion method is used to produce both pure ferrite materials and their composite counterparts. The phases of the synthesized materials were verified through XRD analysis while scanning elec-tron microscopy was employed to examine their morphology. The average crystallite size of the LFO, NiFO and their composite was 53, 62 and 42 nm, respectively. The elemental composition of the pristine and composite was confirmed by the energy dispersive spectroscopic analysis, indicating no other impurity in the materials. The optical properties are analyzed via UV visible and photoluminescence to measure the band gap value of 2.05, 1.73 and 1.9 eV for LFO, NiFO and their composite, respectively. It is observed that the LaFeO3/NiFe2O4 has the highest photodegradation efficiency (92 %) as compared to the LFO (LaFeO3) and NiFO (NiFe2O4). The com-posite material also showed excellent reusability as well as good stability. It was also confirmed that OH radicals are the major contributor toward the dye degradation, as confirmed by the scavenger tests. The higher miner-alization of methylene blue in the occurrence of composite as a catalyst may cause rapid charge transfers, as confirmed by EIS, and it may stop the recombination of electrons/hole pairs due to suitable band alignments.