Sunlight active photocatalytic studies of Fe2O3 based nanocomposites developed via two-pot synthesis technique

[Display omitted] •The nanocomposites of α-Fe2O3 are synthesized by co-precipitation method.•The optical and structural properties of the prepared materials were analyzed.•High photocatalytic activity was observed for Fe2O3@MgO composite material.•Degradation percentage was achieved as 91% & 73% for MB & RhB respectively. The Fe2O3@MgO, Fe2O3@Mn2O3, and Fe2O3@Co3O4 nanocomposites were developed using a two-pot wet chemical procedure. The structure and the phase were confirmed using the Powder X-Ray diffraction tool (PXRD). The optical properties of the prepared materials were analyzed using Photoluminescence (PL) and Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) technique. Surface morphology and elemental composition of the prepared samples were studied by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDAX). The porosity and the surface area of the materials were studied by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis. The functional group present in the prepared material is analyzed by Fourier transforms IR analysis (FT-IR). The photocatalytic analysis was done using Methylene Blue (MB), Rhodamine B (RhB) and Phenol. Further the mineralizations of the pollutants are studied by COD experiment and also the radical scavenger experiments are carried out.