Synthesis and application of novel Fe-MIL-53/GO nanocomposite for photocatalytic degradation of reactive dye from aqueous solution

Abstract

The composite of Fe-MIL-53 and graphene oxide (GO) was successfully prepared using solvothermal method to crystallize Fe-MIL-53 on GO layers. The Fe-MIL-53/GO composite was characterized by XRD, isotherms of N2 adsorption– desorption (BET), TEM, FTIR, and Energy dispersive X-Ray (EDX). From TEM result, it revealed the formation of very small Fe-MIL-53 particles of 10 -20 nm well dispersed on GO surface. The photocatalytic activity of Fe-MIL-53/GO nanocomposite for the degradation of reactive dye (reactive red-RR195) in aqueous solution was examined and evaluate. The red-RR195 removal efficiency reached 96 % after 60 min of reaction under irradiation of simulated sunlight, indicating highly photocatalytic activity of this nano composite. In addition, this composite also showed much higher photocatalytic activity as compared to that of pure Fe-MIL-53, this clearly indicated the synergistic effect between Fe-MIL-53 and GO. Therefore, the novel Fe-MIL-53/GO can be considered as a highly efficient photocatalyst for degradation of reactive dye from aqueous solution.