Facile and Low Cost Synthesis of NiFe-LDH/ZnO Composites for Efficient Photodegradation of MB in Aqueous Solution Uunder the Illumination of Natural Sunlight

Textile effluents containing pretreated dyes pose a significant environmental and health threat due to their high toxicity. To combat this, a series of composite NiFe-LDH@ZnO materials were synthesized using hydrothermal and co-precipitation methods, designed to degrade methylene blue (MB) under natural sunlight. By adjusting the ZnO content (0.25 to 1.25 g) during co-precipitation, the material properties were optimized. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed non-uniform shapes and varied sizes, while X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the presence of hexagonal phases for both NiFe-LDH and ZnO. Among the composites, the sample with 1.25 g of ZnO (sample 4) exhibited an optical band gap of 2.40 eV and achieved 98.5% efficiency in photocatalytic MB degradation, with excellent cycling stability. Key parameters, including catalyst dose, pH, and initial dye concentration, were analyzed, highlighting a synergistic effect between ZnO and NiFe-LDH that enhanced degradation efficiency. These findings underscore the potential of NiFe-LDH/ZnO composites for addressing wastewater challenges and broader applications, such as solar-driven hydrogen production.