Insight into mechanism of excellent visible-light photocatalytic activity of CuO/MgO/ZnO nanocomposite for advanced solution of environmental remediation

Environmental remediation has sought several innovative ways for the treatment of wastewater and captivated researchers around the globe towards it. Through this study, we aim to proceed with the efforts to foster sustainable and feasible ways for the treatment of wastewater. In this work, we report the sol-gel synthesis of CuO/MgO/ZnO nanocomposite and carry out their systematic characterization with the help of state-of-the-art analytical techniques, such as FTIR, SEM, TEM, PL, XRD, Raman, and AFM. The SEM along with TEM and AFM provided useful insights into the surface morphology of the synthesized nanocomposite on both 2D and 3D surfaces and concluded the well-dispersed behavior of the nanocomposite. The characteristic functional groups responsible for carrying out the reaction of Cu–O, Mg–O, and Zn–O were identified by FTIR spectroscopy. On the other hand, crystal size, dislocation density, and microstrain of the nanocomposite were calculated by XRD. For optical studies, photoluminescence spectroscopy was performed. Once the characterization of the nanocomposite was done, they were eventually treated against the toxic organic dye, methylene blue. The calculated rate constant values of k for CuO was 2.48 × 10−3 min−1, for CuO/MgO (2.04 × 10−3 min−1), for CuO/ZnO (1.82 × 10−3 min−1) and CuO/MgO/ZnO was found to be 2.00 × 10−3 min−1. It has become increasingly evident that nanotechnology can be used in various facets of modern life, and its implementation in wastewater treatment has recently received much attention. [Display omitted] •The sol-gel method was adopted to synthesize CuO, CuO/MgO, CuO/ZnO, and CuO/ZnO/MgO nanocomposites.•The characterization of as-synthesized nanocomposites was done with the help of FTIR, SEM, SEM, Raman, AFM, XRD, and Photoluminescence spectroscopy.•The photocatalytic potential was determined against the organic dye Methylene blue.•The impact of multiple scavengers, reusability of the photocatalyst, and hot filtration test for the heterogeneity of the photocatalyst are also provided in the context.