Synergizing nanotechnology, codoping, and reinforcement with rGO to increase the catalytic activity of a modified Ho/Cr-FeNdO3-rGO nanocomposite for tartrazine removal

Abstract

Herein, we used a wet technique to synthesize a novel magnetic retrievable FeNdO₃ perovskite semiconductor codoped with Ho/Cr. We created a nanocomposite by placing an rGO sheet under the semiconductor as a support. The structural, thermal, morphological, optoelectronic, electrical, and surface properties of the synthesized FeNdO₃ (FNO-1), Ho/Cr-FeNdO₃ (FNO-2), and Ho/Cr-FeNdO₃/rGO (FNO-3) samples were analysed using XRD, FTIR, TGA, SEM, PL, UV/Vis, I–V, and BET. A structural study confirmed that the FNO-1 and FNO-2 samples grew as orthorhombic phases with grain sizes of 21.61 and 18.2 nm, respectively. The SEM and TGA analyses of FNO-3 indicated the presence of perovskite nanoparticles (NPs) modified with r-GO. The composite sample (FNO-3) effectively harvested light photons and had a good conductance (0.43 mA/V) and photocurrent (42.6 mA) and a large specific surface area (61 m²g^-1), demonstrating the positive impact of codoping and rGO reinforcement. Under 70 min of visible light irradiation, the FNO-1, FNO-2, and FNO-3 photocatalysts degraded the azo dye tartrazine with efficiencies of 48.95%, 65.2%, and 98.74%, respectively, indicating the photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposite was considerably higher than those of the codoped and pristine samples. The synthesized nanocomposite mineralized tartrazine with a rate constant of 0.021 minute^-1, where superoxide radicals and free electrons were the predominant reactive species. In this study, nanotechnology, codoping, and compositing were integrated to create a modified perovskite material with exceptional photocatalytic performance and high application potential for water treatment.