SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF VISIBLE LIGHT ACTIVE MAGNETIC GRAPHENE OXIDE DECORATED ZnO/ NiO PHOTOCATALYST FOR REMOVAL OF CONGO RED DYE

ZnO/NiO/magnetic graphene oxide (ZNMG) nanocomposite has been successfully synthesized by depositing a ZnO/NiO on magnetic graphene oxide (MGo) sheets. The nanocomposite was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and Raman spectroscopy that indicate a good combination between MGo and ZnO and NiO. For ZNMG, the band gap energy of 2.87 eV determined by the diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) that it could have appropriate potential for photocatlytic activity under visible light irradiation. Enhanced photocatalytic performance was displayed for ZNMG in removal of Congo Red (CR) dye under visible light irradiation relative to pure ZnO and NiO that attributed to the increased light absorption range and the decline of electron–hole pair recombination in ZnO with formation p-n hetrojunction ZNMG. Effects of pH of solution, dosage of NiO and temperature on photocatalytic activity were investigated.