Abstract
Ciprofloxacin (CIP) remediation has been carried out using Fe2O3@ZrO2 nanocomposites, which were fabricated by means of easy wet chemical approach by combining mesoporous ZrO2 and Fe2O3 with varied concentrations and used in this study. The crystal structure, composition, morphology, electrical and optical features of the prepared materials were checked via different techniques. The gained results indicated the possibility of Fe2O3 to be doped into the ZrO2 structure. Furthermore, the gained TEM images revealed that the Fe2O3 nanoparticles were spherical and uniformly scattered inside the ZrO2 nanoparticles. The Fe2O3@ZrO2 nanocomposites were investigated as a new effective photocatalyst against CIP remediation using visible light. A faultless crystalline structure, a great surface area, a small bandgap with decreasing recombination between induced charges, a mesoporous structure of Fe2O3@ZrO2 nanocomposites photocatalyst were all factors that contributed to the increased efficiency. Fe2O3@ZrO2 nanocomposites containing 1.5 wt% Fe2O3 improved the photocatalytic CIP remediation effectiveness from 35% to 100% in within 60 min. Even after five cycles of application, the recycled Fe2O3@ZrO2 nanocomposite exhibited such a change with excellent performance and no decrease in efficiency. Using visible light, the created Fe2O3@ZrO2 nanocomposite could be used as an environmentally friendly photocatalyst to remediate pollutants with minimal energy.
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•A new nanocomposite of Fe2O3@ZrO2 photocatalyst was prepared.•Different characterization techniques were checked for the photocatalyst.•The Fe2O3@ZrO2 were examined as photocatalyst against tetracycline pollutant.•The 1.5 wt% Fe2O3@ZrO2 showing enhancement in photocatalytic activity.•The developed Fe2O3@ZrO2 employed for crucial degradation activities.