Abstract
In the present work, the effect of Mn doping in Zinc Chromite (ZnCr2O4) and particle size reduction on catalytic and photocatalytic degradation performance have been evaluated. The pristine Zn1−xMnxCr2O4 (x = 0 to 0.03) nanoscale samples are synthesized through a hydrothermal approach. The synthesized catalysts are characterized by XRD, HR-SEM, HR-TEM, catalytic, and photocatalytic degradation analyses. X-ray diffraction analysis results confirmed the formation of the ZnCr2O4 structure and its phase purity, crystallite size, and Mn dopant effect. The surface morphology and particle size of Zn1−xMnxCr2O4 samples are evaluated by SEM and TEM measurements. The textural properties of ZnCr2O4 samples are identified by the surface area analysis. The catalytic performance of Mn-doped ZnCr2O4 samples reveals superior catalytic performance compared to pristine ZnCr2O4 in benzaldehyde and carbonyl compound productions. Under UV irradiation, an excellent photocatalytic degradation efficiency of 89.66% for Zn0.97Mn0.03Cr2O4 catalyst with methylene blue has been obtained.