Catalytic and Photocatalytic Degradation Activities of Nanoscale Mn-Doped ZnCr2O4

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.