Work

Watermelon seeds-mediated synthesis of bismuth iron oxide nanostructures for water treatment and energy storage applications

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Renewable functional materials, derived from sustainable sources, enhance protection, functionality, and performance. These materials are crucial for addressing environmental issues and fostering sustainable practices. This study reports the sustainable, synthesis of bismuth iron oxide (BiFeO 3 ) nanostructures using watermelon seeds waste as an organic additive (0.1 g, 0.2 g, 0.3 g 0.4 g and 0.5 g) via a sol-gel method. The synthesized nanomaterials were optimized as dual-functional platforms for the photocatalytic degradation of crystal violet dye and supercapacitor applications. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the phase purity of the rhombohedral BiFeO 3 structure. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy verified the characteristic broad bands corresponding to the Fe–O stretching vibration along the axis and the bending vibration mode within the FeO 6 octahedral unit. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) revealed the formation of rod like- structure. The specific surface area is calculated ~ 22.676 m²/g using the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method. Photocatalytic evaluations demonstrated excellent catalytic efficiency (96.6%) under sunlight against crystal violet. This enhanced activity is attributed to the high surface area and abundant reactive sites offered by the nanorods morphology, obeying pseudo-first-order kinetics (R 2 = 0.9895, k = 0.03887 min -1 . Furthermore, electrochemical evaluations via cyclic voltammetry (CV) verified the pseudocapacitive behavior of all samples. These findings highlight the potential of watermelon-assisted synthesis for developing high-performance, cost-effective, and multifunctional materials for environmental remediation and energy storage.

Source: Desalination and Water Treatment

DOI: 10.1016/j.dwt.2026.101989