*2.3. Characterization Techniques*

The following were used as characterization techniques: X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was conducted using X-ray diffractometer (Shimadzu XRD-7000, Shimadzu Corp., Kyoto, Japan) with a Cu-Kα radiation (λ = 0.15406 nm), step scan mode with step time and degree (2θ) of 0.4 s and 0.02◦, respectively, for the range of 10◦ to 80◦), to know crystal structures and average crystallite size of the samples. The surface morphology of the materials was examined using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a JEOL JSM-5610 (JEOL, Ltd., Akishima, Tokyo) equipped with an Everhart-Thornley detector. The chemical compositions of the prepared samples were characterized using Spectrum 65 Fourier transform infrared (FT–IR) (PerkinElmer, Waltham, MA, USA) in the range 4000–400 cm−<sup>1</sup> using KBr pellets. The optical property of the nanocomposites was recorded using a PerkinElmer Lamda 35 spectrometer which is operated at a wavelength range of 200–800 nm and the absorption spectra have been obtained from reflectance data using the Kubelka–Munk algorithm [28].
