Green synthesis and characterization of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles capped by Maesa lanceolata l. Leaf extract and its methylene blue degradation application

Abstract

Disposal of untreated sewage, coloring dyes and release of pollutant gases to the atmosphere due to increase in population number and rapid growth of industrialization, causes water pollution. Water pollution problem is getting very severe all over the world. So, it is very important to search for high performance materials for solving the problem. The main objective of this study was to synthesize, characterize and to investigate photocatalytic dye degradation activity of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs). Fe3O4 NPs were synthesized via green synthesis method by taking ferric chloride hexahydrate (FeCl3.6H2O) and ferrous chloride tetra hydrate (FeCl2.4H2O) (2:1 molar ratio) and Maesa lanceolata L. leaf extract as capping agent. The synthesized Fe3O4 NPs were characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy and XRD spectroscopy. The UV-Vis spectroscopy shows the characteristic peak of Fe3O4 NPs at 370 nm. FT-IR spectroscopic study of the plant extract and the synthesized Fe3O4 NPs revealed the formation of Fe3O4 NPs by coordination with the functional groups present in the plant extract. The XRD analysis elaborated the formation of crystalline Fe3O4 NPs and used to estimate the average crystalline size that is about 14.6 nm. The formation of nanometer sized Fe3O4 NPs makes promising candidate for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye. As a result, the degradation efficiency of Fe3O4 NPs on a model organic dye MB after optimization (pH=10, the mass of the Fe3O4 NPs=30 mg, concentration of MB=5 mg/L and temperature=60 ºC) was found to be 94.3%. In this study, Fe3O4 NPs were successfully synthesized using an aqueous leaf extract of Maesa lanceolata L. via green route method and the nanocatalysts were highly efficient for methylene blue photocatalytic degradation