Enhanced photocatalytic performance of Hausmannite Mn3O4-rGO nanocomposite in degrading methylene blue

Hausmannite manganese oxide/reduced graphene oxide (Mn3O4-rGO) nanocomposite (NC) was synthesized by solvothermal method. The NC was assessed for structural, morphological, and optical properties by XRD, SEM, FE-SEM, Raman, UV–visible and PL techniques. The XRD pattern exhibits a tetragonal structure of Mn3O4 with an average grain size of ~25.81 nm. Crystalline plane (0 0 2) confirms the successful formation of Mn3O4-rGO NC. Surface morphological images show the crumbled-like structure of graphene sheets on which Mn3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) are randomly distributed. The optical absorption and transmittance properties of NC were studied and the band-gap value was calculated. The photocatalytic activity studies on the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under sunlight demonstrated that Mn3O4-rGO NC have high degradation efficiency compared to the pristine materials Mn3O4 and rGO.