Magnetically Retrievable Fe-doped TiO₂ Nanoparticles for Photo-induced Toxic Dye Removal Applications

In light of the applications of nanotechnology in wastewater treatments, an attempt is made to fabricate the Fe-doped TiO₂ nano-photocatalyst via simple and cost-effective sol-gel auto ignition route by following the green synthesis approach. The prepared nano-photocatalyst samples are characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), BET, and UV-Vis spectroscopy in order to study the structural, morphological, surface, and optical properties. XRD analysis validates the anatase phase formation and nanoscale structure of the prepared nano-photocatalyst. The spherical shaped grain morphology with some agglomeration is visualized in SEM image. The high specific surface area values are observed from the N₂-adsorption/desorption curves of the prepared samples. Further, the photocatalytic performance of the prepared nano-catalyst samples is evaluated by measuring the percentage degradation of toxic dye (Rhodamine B) under UV light radiation. The degradation rates as 98.7% and 98.2% in 120 min are observed in the case of Rhodamine B for pure and Fe-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles, respectively. The reusability of the prepared nanoparticles is evaluated for five cycles and it shows negligible changes in dye degradation. All these outputs show that prepared Fe-doped TiO₂ nanocatalyst are promising for industrial wastewater purification treatments.