Synergistic multifunctionality in SrMnO3-ZrO2 composite: Unravelling the dielectric relaxation and enhanced visible-light photocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin
Abstract
Zirconium modified strontium manganite composite is synthesized using an economically solid-state method. Orthorhombic symmetry is confirmed by structural analysis using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the SEM analysis reveals the uniform dispersion of elements, chemical composition including morphology. The characteristic stretching and bending modes of the Sr–Mn–O and O–Mn–O bonds in the octahedral SrO6 unit were identified by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Optical bandgap values, measured by UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), show a composition-dependent bandgap value of 2.57 eV for the 1:1 ratio. Electrical measurements indicate that the transport mechanism is dominated by a hopping-type charge transfer process. The SMOZr (1:1) composite shows enhanced photocatalytic activity with an efficiency of 88.3% degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) under visible light irradiation. The catalyst shows high stability and recyclability over four consecutive cycles. The kinetic studies establish the pseudo-first-order degradation of the pollutant, which highlights the robustness of this stable multifunctional perovskite material for environmental applications.