developing a novel adsorbent: rgo/fe3o4/zro₂ nanocomposite for terasil black dye removal

In this study, the synthesis and characterization of a ternary nanocomposite consisting of rgo, fe3o4 and zro2 nps are explored. the nanocomposite might be useful in removing terasil black dye from aqueous solutions in which case it is very important for textile industries. nanocomposite was synthesized through co-precipitation method and physically bonded with zro2 nps. x-ray diffraction (xrd), field emission scanning electron microscopy (fesem), and energy dispersive x-ray (edx) analysis were used to reveal the structural properties, surface morphology and elemental composition of the nanocomposite. from these signals, it can be inferred that an amorphous phase exists as indicated by strong peak positions at various lattice planes. the fesem images revealed irregular particle shapes with aggregation being noted as well. edx analysis has been utilized to confirm the presence of constituent elements there-in. the adsorption isotherms, as put by giles, show an s-shape which means that the dye ions are vertical to the surface of nanocomposite. the physical ones, stronger at higher temperature levels prevail in these exothermic adsorption processes. this process follows closely the freundlich isotherm model indicating a heterogeneous surface area following analysis of adsorption data. in this model, it is suggested that chemical and physical adsorptions take place with changing relative contributions over temperature ranges. these findings are significant to rgo/fe3o4/zro2 nanocomposites for wastewater treatment optimization as they shed light on kinetics and thermodynamics of dye adsorption over these materials.