Effect of organic capping agent on the photocatalytic activity of MgO nanoflakes obtained by thermal decomposition route

In the present work we report a facile and eco-friendly route to synthesize magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoflakes by thermal decomposition of precursors, which are prepared by a reflux condensation approach using different solvents namely ethylenediamine (EDA), hexamethylediamine (HTMA) and triethanolamine (TEA). X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern reveales the polycrystalline nature of MgO with cubic structure. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) studies confirmed the formation of MgO with the characteristic vibrational mode of Mg–O. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed the formation of MgO nanoflakes. Optical band gap energy of MgO nanocrystals calculated from UV diffused reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) varied from 5.42 to 5.56 eV. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra exhibited visible emissions due to the formation of defects in the band gap region of MgO. The photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) dye by MgO nanoflakes synthesized using different solvents was investigated under UV light irradiation and the results demonstrate that MgO nanoflakes possess appreciable photocatalytic activity for decomposing MO dye, when EDA is used as a capping agent.