Synthesis and characterization of new spinel Mn0.5Cu0.5Cr2O4 and degradation of Malachite Green from wastewater in comparison with CuCr2O4.

In this study phase- pure new spinel structure, Mn0.5Cu0.5Cr2O4 was prepared by hydrothermal method successfully and the degradation of Malachite green as an organic pollutant was investigated and compared with Cr2O4. Purification of obtained nanoparticles was measured by using X-ray diffraction method (XRD) in which crystal structure and the structural properties were studied by using X'Pert package and Fullprof program. Also, the morphology of obtained materials was modified by field-effect scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). These materials were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. UV-vis diffuse reflectance analysis was done for determination of band gape which evaluated 1.37eV. The photocatalytic application of synthesized materials was evaluated by the degradation of malachite green (MG) in the presence of H2O2 that were assessed by UV-vis spectroscopy analysis. The comparison study of photocatalytic result reviled that Mn0.5Cu0.5Cr2O4 has higher activity than Cr2O4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]