Physicochemical and photocatalytic properties of Ag₂CrO₄/Fe₂O₃/CeO₂ ternary nanocomposite

The study presents Ag₂CrO₄/Fe₂O₃/CeO₂ ternary nanocomposite, based on Fe₂O₃/CeO₂ binary composites, which demonstrated excellent photocatalytic performance in the photodegradation of methylene blue under solar irradiation. The Ag₂CrO₄/Fe₂O₃/CeO₂ nanocomposites was orthorhombic, ilmenite, and cubic-fluorite phases of Ag₂CrO₄, Fe₂O₃, and CeO₂, respectively, according to the XRD examination. A strong bond between Ag₂CrO₄, Fe₂O₃, and CeO₂ within the nanocomposite was demonstrated by the SEM and TEM investigations. Moreover, it was discovered that the coupling of Ag₂CrO₄ and Fe₂O₃ caused a red shift and moved CeO₂ absorption edge from the UV to the visible spectrum. The reason behind this is that the band gap of CeO₂ reduced 2.85 to 2.69 eV and the absorbance band intensity increased in visible region. Utilizing visible light, Ag₂CrO₄/Fe₂O₃/CeO₂ ternary nanocomposites exhibit enhanced photocatalytic properties (98.90%) for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) within 100 min. The long-term reliability and recyclability of the photocatalyst were explored through 3 successive cycles. An active radical quenching test was conducted to elucidate the involvement of O₂ ^- and OH which are the primary reactive species in the photocatalytic breakdown of MB. Ag₂CrO₄/Fe₂O₃/CeO₂ ternary nanocomposites displayed notable improvements in photodegradation activity, making them well suited for the effective removal of hazardous dyes present in textile effluents.