Fabrication of Hybrid Fe2V4O13/ZnO Heterostructure for Effective Mineralization of Aqueous Methyl Orange Solution

A new nanocomposite composed of Fe 2 V 4 O 13 and ZnO was synthesized using sol–gel technique. The properties of this compound were analyzed by performing X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in conjunction with energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrometry and elemental color mapping, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectra (UV–Vis-DRS), and photoluminescence (PL) spectra measurements. A coupled semiconductor system was developed to enhance the photocatalytic efficiency of ZnO. The photocatalytic efficiency of 11 wt% Fe 2 V 4 O 13 /ZnO under UV-A light irradiation was ~ 1.25 times higher than that exhibited by bare ZnO. The enhanced photodegradation was ascribed to the high efficiency of charge separation of the e − /h + pairs.