Biofabrication of NiO and NiO-decorated Fe nanocomposite efficiency for removal of methylene blue from aqueous solution

This study describes a straightforward, inexpensive, and green approach for creating nickel oxide (NiO) and nickel oxide-decorated Fe (Fe@NiO) nanoparticles (NPs) and studies their photocatalytic activity against organic dyes in order to highlight the changes in their properties and organic dyes removal activity. The chemical and physical characteristics of the synthesized nanoparticles were investigated using a variety of characterization techniques, including FTIR, XRD, SEM, UV–Vis, and TGA analysis. The photocatalytic activity study was performed to test their activity against Methyl blue as a cationic dye. The characterization results have confirmed the biosynthesis of Fe@NiO and NiO NPs with cubic crystal structures, and band gap energy of 2.79 eV and 3.94 eV for NiO and Fe@NiO, respectively. The photocatalytic activity results have shown that the biosynthesized Fe@NiO NPs had a significant organic dye removal activity with a degradation coefficient of 65.5% during 120 min. Proving Fe@NiO efficiency and its potential use as a cost-effective and safe alternative for water treatment.