Green engineering of plant extract-mediated synthesis of nickel oxide/zinc oxide nanocomposites: a sustainable material for simultaneous degradation of ternary dyes

This study reports the green synthesis of Nickel Oxide/Zinc oxide nanocomposites using phytochemical-rich extracts from Ziziphus mauritiana, Prosopis juliflora, and Azadirachta indica, and their application as a photocatalyst for the simultaneous degradation of ternary dyes. Different characterization tools were applied to examine surface functionality, morphology, crystalline pattern, and colloidal stability of the materials using a Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometer, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffractometer, Dynamic light scattering analyzer, and Zeta potential, respectively. The particle size was found to be (58.28–24.36 nm) with high colloidal stability (−25.8 to −33.5 mV). The prepared catalyst exhibits exceptional degradation of ternary dyes (Rhodamine-B, Rhodamine 6-G, and Methyl Violet) within 100 min. The nanocomposites prepared using Prosopis juliflora plant extract achieved degradation (95.0%, 95.4%, 94.5%), outperforming NCs-ZM (75.0%, 75.3%, 75.7%) and NCs-AI (82.0%, 82.2%, 79.2%). The catalyst offers a sustainable alternative to conventional fabrication, eliminating hazardous reagents, making it a promising candidate for simultaneous degradation.