Work

Biopolymer-Assisted Hydrothermal Synthesis of Manganese Cobalt Spinel Oxide (MnCo2O4) Using Cellulose and Chitosan for Enhanced Catalytic Performance

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study reports the synthesis and photocatalytic performance of MnCo2O4 nanospinels fabricated with biodegradable stabilizers—chitosan (CHT) and biomass-cellulose (BC)—for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under UV-rich solar irradiation. Structural and optical analyses (FTIR, XRD, XPS, PL, TGA, UV–Vis, and BET) revealed that the stabilizers significantly improved crystallinity, porosity, and charge-carrier separation while suppressing electron–hole recombination. Among the catalysts, MnCo2O4–CHT exhibited the best performance, achieving 96% MB degradation within 120 min, with the highest apparent rate constant (kapp = 0.0203 min−1) and shortest half-life (t1/2 = 34.2 min). In comparison, MnCo2O4–BC and MnCo2O4–Neat achieved 65% and 45% degradation, respectively. The enhanced activity of MnCo2O4–CHT is attributed to the chelation and electron-donating ability of chitosan’s –NH2 and –OH groups, which facilitate efficient charge transfer and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of stabilizer-assisted synthesis in tuning the physicochemical properties of spinel oxides, offering a sustainable and high-performance photocatalyst for environmental remediation and wastewater treatment applications.

Source: Polymers

DOI: 10.3390/polym17233138

Author: Sultan Alhassan

Institution: Jouf University

Language: English

Topic: Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques

Subfield: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

Field: Energy

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Responsible consumption and production, Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,258