EDTA and Leishman stain-doped FeZnS2 nanomaterials: fabrication, characterization and its application in dye removal

Dyes can be determined as a substance that creates many environmental issues leading to the death of aquatic life, plants and all living organisms. Dye removal can be done by several physical, chemical and biological methods, including the photocatalytic method. Photocatalysis is a method in which light energy is used to degrade the dye. This technique is low-cost and eco-friendly, and it degrades many harmful substances from organic dyes compared to other techniques. The prime aim of the present work is to degrade the largely used organic dyes such as methylene blue, malachite green and crystal violet using EDTA-doped FeZnS₂ and Leishman stain-doped FeZnS₂ thin films. The doped FeZnS₂ thin films were fabricated using the co-precipitation method. Thin fabricated films are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and UV–Visible spectroscopy (UV). These characterization studies show an active photo response indicating effective dye degradation. Based on the absorption studies of UV spectroscopy measurements after 60 min, the degradation efficiency of methylene blue, crystal violet and malachite green using EDTA-doped FeZnS₂ are 76, 85 and 90, respectively. Similarly, the degradation efficiency after 60 min of methylene blue, crystal violet and malachite green using Leishman stain-doped FeZnS₂ are 82, 79 and 89, respectively.