Photodegradation of Orange-G using zinc octacarboxyphthalocyanine supported on Fe3O4 nanoparticles

•A conjugate between zinc octacarboxyphthalocyanine and magnetic nanoparticles was synthesized.•The conjugate was employed for the photodegradation of Orange G.•The conjugate showed better photocatalytic activity than the phthalocyanine on its own.•The photocatalyst could be easily recovered using a magnet and recycled.

Zinc octacarboxy phthalocyanine (ZnOCPc) was covalently immobilized on the surface of magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) for the photocatalytic degradation of Orange G (OG) under visible light irradiation. It is noteworthy that the catalyst can be easily recovered using an external magnet and that it is reusable. The ZnOCPc remained bound to the MNP surface even after 25 min of photolysis as confirmed by the FT-IR and X-ray diffraction spectra. Kinetic analysis shows that the photodegradation rates of OG can be approximated to be pseudo-first order, according to the Langmuir–Hinshelwood kinetics model.

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