Photocatalytic degradation of acid blue 74 in water using Ag–Ag2O–Zno nanostuctures anchored on graphene oxide

Water pollution due to industrial effluents from industries which utilize dyes in the manufacturing of their products has serious implications on aquatic lives and the general environment. Thus, there is need for the removal of dyes from wastewater before being discharged into the environment. In this study, a nanocomposite consisting of silver, silver oxide (Ag₂O), zinc oxide (ZnO) and graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized, characterized and photocatalytically applied in the degradation (and possibly mineralization) of organic pollutants in water treatment process. The Ag–Ag₂O–ZnO nanostructure was synthesized by a co-precipitation method and calcined at 400 °C. It was functionalized using 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane and further anchored on carboxylated graphene oxide via the formation of an amide bond to give the Ag–Ag₂O–ZnO/GO nanocomposite. The prepared nanocomposite was characterized by UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy. The applicability of Ag–Ag₂O–ZnO/GO nanocomposite as a photocatalyst was investigated in the photocatalytic degradation of acid blue 74 dye under visible light irradiation in synthetic wastewater containing the dye. The results indicated that Ag–Ag₂O–ZnO/GO nanocomposite has a higher photocatalytic activity (90% removal) compared to Ag–Ag₂O–ZnO (85% removal) and ZnO (75% removal) respectively and thus lends itself to application in water treatment, where the removal of organics is very important.     

Nanoflower-like composites of ZnO/SiO2 synthesized using bamboo leaves ash as reusable photocatalyst

In this study, the synthesis of ZnO/SiO₂ nanocomposites using bamboo leaf ash (BLA) and tested their photocatalytic activity for rhodamine B decolorization have been conducted. The nanocomposites were prepared by the sol–gel reaction of zinc acetate dihydrate, which was used as a zinc oxide precursor, with silica gel obtained from the caustic extraction of BLA. The effect of the Zn content (5, 10, and 20 wt%) on the physicochemical characteristics and photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposites was investigated. The results of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, gas sorption, and transmission electron microscopy characterization confirmed the mesoporous structure of the composites containing nanoflower-like ZnO (wurtzite) nanoparticles of 10–30 nm in size dispersed on the silica support. Further, the nanocomposites were confirmed to be composed of ZnO/SiO₂ by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. Meanwhile, diffuse-reflectance UV–visible spectrophotometry analysis of the nanocomposites revealed band gap energies of 3.38–3.39 eV. Of the tested nanocomposites, that containing 10 wt% Zn exhibited the highest decolorization efficiency (99%) and fastest decolorization rate. In addition, the degradation efficiencies were not reduced significantly after five repeated runs, demonstrating the reusability of the nanocomposite catalysts. Therefore, the ZnO/SiO₂ nanocomposite obtained from BLA is a promising reusable photocatalyst for the degradation of dye-polluted water.     

Preparation, characterization, and photocatalytic activity of polyaniline/ZnO nanocomposite

Polyaniline (PANI)/zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocomposite was synthesized by in-situ polymerization. X-ray diffraction patterns, UV?Cvisible spectroscopy, SEM, and TEM were used to characterize the composition and structure of the nanocomposite. Nanostructured PANI/ZnO composite was used as photocatalyst in the photodegradation of methylene blue dye molecules in aqueous solution. The photocatalytic activity of PANI/ZnO nanocomposite under UV and visible light irradiation was evaluated and was compared with that of ZnO nanoparticles. ZnO/PANI core?Cshell nanocomposite had greater photocatalytic activity than ZnO nanoparticles and pristine PANI under visible light irradiation. According to these results, application of PANI as a shell on the surface of ZnO nanoparticles causes the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the PANI/ZnO nanocomposite. Also UV?Cvisible spectroscopy studies showed that the absorption peak for PANI/ZnO nanocomposite has a red shift toward visible wavelengths compared with the ZnO nanoparticles and pristine PANI. The effect of different operating conditions on the photocatalytic performance of PANI/ZnO nanocomposite in the photodegradation of methylene blue dye molecules was investigated in a bath experimental setup.     

A Highly Efficient and Stable Photocatalyst; N-Doped ZnO/CNT Composite Thin Film Synthesized via Simple Sol-Gel Drop Coating Method

The thin film of N-doped ZnO/CNT nanocomposite was successfully fabricated on soda lime glass substrate by a simple sol-gel drop-coating method. The structural, morphological, chemical, and optical properties of as prepared samples were characterized by a variety of tools such as X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and UV-visible spectroscopy. The hexagonal crystalline structure was confirmed from XRD measurement without any other impurity phase detection in samples. The N-doped ZnO/CNT composite showed excellent photo-catalytic activity towards cationic methylene blue (MB) dye degradation with 100% removal rate under UV light irradiation as compared to N-doped ZnO (65%) and pure ZnO (47.36%). The convincing performance has also been observed for the case of visible light irradiation. The enhancement of that photocatalytic activity might be due to narrowing the band gap as well as the reduction of electron–hole pair recombination in ZnO matrix with the incorporation of dopant nitrogen and CNT. It is assumed from the obtained results that N-doped ZnO/CNT nanocomposite thin film can be employed as an economically achievable and ecofriendly method to degrade dye with UV and visible light irradiation. Additionally, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were applied to explore the effect of N-doping on electronic structure of ZnO. The computational study has supported the experimental results of significant band gap contraction, which leads to the maximum absorption towards higher wavelength and no appreciable change of lattice parameters after doping. A conceivable photocatalytic mechanism of N-doped ZnO/CNT nanocomposite has been proposed as well.     

Azo dyes degradation using TiO2-Pt/graphene oxide and TiO2-Pt/reduced graphene oxide photocatalysts under UV and natural sunlight irradiation

The photocatalytic degradation of azo dyes with different structures (amaranth, sunset yellow and tartrazine) using TiO₂-Pt nanoparticles (TPt), TiO₂-Pt/graphene oxide (TPt-GO) and TiO₂-Pt/reduced graphene oxide (TPt-rGO) composites were investigated in the presence of UV and natural sunlight irradiation. The composites were prepared by a combined chemical-thermal method and characterized by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Infrared (FTIR) and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The modification of TiO₂-Pt with graphene oxide shifted its optical absorption edge towards the visible region and increased its photocatalytic activity under UV and natural sunlight irradiation. The efficiency of catalysts on azo dyes degradation (in similar conditions) reached high values (above 99%) under sunlight conditions, proving the remarkable photocatalytic activities of obtained composites. TPt-GO nanocomposite exhibited higher photoactivity than TPt or TPt-rGO, demonstrating degradation efficiencies of 99.56% for amaranth, 99.15% for sunset yellow and 96.23% for tartrazine. The dye photodegradation process follows a pseudo-first-order kinetic with respect to the Langmuir-Hinshelwood reaction mechanism. A direct dependence between azo dyes degradation rate and chemical structure of dyes has been observed.     

ZnO修饰提升花状BiOBr的可见光催化降解罗丹明B性能

以Bi(NO₃)₃·5H₂O、Zn(CH₃COO)₂·2H₂O和NaBr为前驱体,采用简单溶剂热法制备BiOBr/ZnO三维花状微纳米复合材料。采用X射线衍射、扫描电子显微镜、X射线光子能谱、N₂吸附-脱附、光致发光和电子顺磁共振等分析技术对其理化性质进行了表征。通过可见光催化降解罗丹明B(RhB)的实验测试了复合材料的光催化性能。结果表明ZnO含量为5%的BiOBr/ZnO光催化活性最优,RhB降解率在50 min后达到98.3%,其降解速率常数是纯ZnO和BiOBr的6.3倍和3.4倍,并且具有较高的稳定性。复合材料光催化性能增强的可能原因为ZnO的引入增强了可见光的吸收和光生载流子的电荷分离效率。     

Elaboration of nano titania-magnetic reduced graphene oxide for degradation of tartrazine dye in aqueous solution

In this paper, magnetic nanocomposites are synthesized by loading reduced graphene oxide (RG) with two components of nanoparticles consisting of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and magnetite (Fe₃O₄) with varying amounts. The structural and magnetic features of the prepared composite photocatalysts were investigated by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV–vis/DRS), Raman and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The resulting TiO₂/magnetite reduced graphene oxide (MRGT) composite demonstrated intrinsic visible light photocatalytic activity, on degradation of tartrazine (TZ) dye from a synthetic aqueous solution. Specifically, it exhibits higher photocatalytic activity than magnetite reduced graphene oxide (MRG) and TiO₂ nanoparticles. The photocatalytic degradation of TZ dye when using MRG and TiO₂ for 3 h under visible light was 35% and 10% respectively, whereas for MRGT it was more than 95%. The higher photocatalytic efficiency of MRGT is due to the existence of reduced graphene oxide and magnetite which enhances the photocatalytic efficiency of the composite in visible light towards the degradation of harmful soluble azo dye (tartrazine).     

Photodegradation of Rhodamine B on Sulfur Doped ZnO/TiO2 Nanocomposite Photocatalyst under Visible-light Irradiation

Sulfur doped ZnO/TiO₂ nanocomposite photocatalysts were synthesized by a facile sol‐gel method. The structure and properties of catalysts were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV‐vis diffusive reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and N₂ desorption‐adsorption isotherm. The XRD study showed that TiO₂ was anatase phase and there was no obvious difference in crystal composition of various S‐ZnO/TiO₂. The XPS study showed that the Zn element exists as ZnO and S atoms form SO^2?₄. The prepared samples had mesoporosity revealed by N₂ desorption‐adsorption isotherm result. The degradation of Rhodamine B dye under visible light irradiation was chosen as probe reaction to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of the ZnO/TiO₂ nanocomposite. The commercial TiO₂ photocatalyst (Degussa P25) was taken as standard photocatalyst to contrast the prepared different photocatalyst in current work. The improvement of the photocatalytic activity of S‐ZnO/TiO₂ composite photocatalyst can be attributed to the suitable energetic positions between ZnO and TiO₂, the acidity site caused by sulfur doping and the enlargement of the specific area. S‐3.0ZnO/TiO₂ exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation after Zn amount was optimized, which was 2.6 times higher than P25.     

RGO/C_3N_4复合材料的制备及可见光催化性能

通过半封闭一步热裂解法和改进的Hummers法分别制备了类石墨氮化碳(C3N4)和氧化石墨烯(GO),再利用光还原方法制得还原氧化石墨烯/氮化碳(RGO/C3N4)复合材料。采用X射线衍射(XRD),场发射扫描电镜(FESEM),X射线光电子能谱(XPS),紫外-可见漫反射吸收光谱(DRS),光致荧光(PL)和傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)等测试技术对复合材料进行表征。以罗丹明B(RhB)为探针分子在可见光下考察RGO/C3N4复合材料的光催化活性,结果表明:RGO的引入显著提高了C3N4的光催化活性,且6.0%RGO/C3N4复合物的光催化活性最高,可能的原因是RGO具有优良的接受和传导电子性能,抑制了C3N4光生电子-空穴的复合机率,进而提高了光催化活性。     

RGO/C3N4复合材料的制备及可见光催化性能

通过半封闭一步热裂解法和改进的Hummers法分别制备了类石墨氮化碳(C₃N₄)和氧化石墨烯(GO),再利用光还原方法制得还原氧化石墨烯/氮化碳(RGO/C₃N₄)复合材料。采用X射线衍射(XRD),场发射扫描电镜(FESEM),X射线光电子能谱(XPS),紫外-可见漫反射吸收光谱(DRS),光致荧光(PL)和傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)等测试技术对复合材料进行表征。以罗丹明B(RhB)为探针分子在可见光下考察RGO/C₃N₄复合材料的光催化活性,结果表明：RGO的引入显著提高了C₃N₄的光催化活性,且6.0%RGO/C₃N₄复合物的光催化活性最高,可能的原因是RGO具有优良的传导和接受电子性能,抑制了C₃N₄光生电子-空穴的复合机率,进而提高了光催化活性。     

Facile hydrothermal growth graphene/ZnO nanocomposite for development of enhanced biosensor

Graphene/zinc oxide nanocomposite was synthesised via a facile, green and efficient approach consisted of novel liquid phase exfoliation and solvothermal growth for sensing application. Highly pristine graphene was synthesised through mild sonication treatment of graphite in a mixture of ethanol and water at an optimum ratio. The X-ray diffractometry (XRD) affirmed the hydrothermal growth of pure zinc oxide nanoparticles from zinc nitrate hexahydrate precursor. The as-prepared graphene/zinc oxide (G/ZnO) nanocomposite was characterised comprehensively to evaluate its morphology, crystallinity, composition and purity. All results clearly indicate that zinc oxide particles were homogenously distributed on graphene sheets, without any severe aggregation. The electrochemical performance of graphene/zinc oxide nanocomposite-modified screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and amperometry analysis. The resulting electrode exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the reduction of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in a linear range of 1–15 mM with a correlation coefficient of 0.9977. The sensitivity of the graphene/zinc oxide nanocomposite-modified hydrogen peroxide sensor was 3.2580 μAmM⁻¹ with a limit of detection of 7.4357 μM. An electrochemical DNA sensor platform was then fabricated for the detection of Avian Influenza H5 gene based on graphene/zinc oxide nanocomposite. The results obtained from amperometry study indicate that the graphene/zinc oxide nanocomposite-enhanced electrochemical DNA biosensor is significantly more sensitive (P < 0.05) and efficient than the conventional agarose gel electrophoresis.     

Template‐free Fabrication of Hierarchical Macro‐/mesoporous N‐doped TiO2/graphene Oxide Composites with Enhanced Visible‐light Photocatalytic Activity

Hierarchical macro‐/mesoporous N‐doped TiO₂/graphene oxide (N‐TiO₂/GO) composites were prepared without using templates by the simple dropwise addition mixed solution of tetrabutyl titanate and ethanol containg graphene oxide (GO) to the ammonia solution, and then calcined at 350 °C. The as‐prepared samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller (BET) surface area, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV‐Vis absorption spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange in an aqueous solution under visible‐light irradiation. The results show that N‐TiO₂/GO composites exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity. GO content exhibited an obvious influence on photocatalytic performance, and the optimal GO addition content was 1 wt%. The enhanced photocatalytic activity could be attributed to the synergetic effects of three factors including the improved visible light absorption, the hierarchical macro‐mesoporous structure, and the efficient charge separation by GO.     

氮掺杂石墨烯负载的硫化镉空心球纳米复合材料的光催化性能

通过无模板法一步合成了一种新型N掺杂石墨烯负载的CdS空心球复合材料. 采用X射线衍射、透射电镜、红外光谱、紫外-可见光谱、N₂吸附-脱附、荧光光谱和X射线光电子能谱等技术对该材料进行了表征, 并在可见光照射下测试了其在降解亚甲基蓝和水杨酸中的光催化性能. 结果表明, 相对于氧化石墨烯负载硫化镉空心球和单独的硫化镉空心球, 氮掺杂石墨烯负载的硫化镉空心球具有更高的光催化活性和稳定性. 这是由于氮掺杂的石墨烯能充当优异的电子受体和传输体, 从而抑制了载流子的复合. 另外发现, 羟基自由基是可见光下降解亚甲基蓝的主要活性物种.     

金红石相TiO2-石墨烯复合材料的制备及其光催化性能

以鳞片石墨为原料, 用改进的Hummers法制备氧化石墨烯(GO), 以异丙醇钛为钛源经一步水热法制备得到金红石相TiO₂-石墨烯复合材料(rGO-TiO₂), 考察了氧化石墨烯用量对复合材料光催化性能的影响. 采用X射线衍射(XRD), 比表面积(BET), 透射电镜(TEM), 扫描电镜(SEM), 拉曼光谱, 紫外-可见(UV-Vis)吸收光谱和荧光光谱(PL)等测试手段对复合材料进行表征. 结果表明: 复合材料中TiO₂为针簇状结构的金红石相, 与石墨烯能够均匀复合; 与纯金红石相TiO₂相比, 复合材料具有较大的比表面积. 研究了该复合材料在紫外光下对罗丹明B 以及可见光下对甲基橙光降解效果. 当氧化石墨烯浓度为0.5 mg·mL^-1时, 制备得到的复合材料rGO-TiO₂具有较好的光催化效果.     

Sunlight Photocatalytic Performance of ZnO Nanoparticles Synthesized by Green Chemistry Using Different Botanical Extracts and Zinc Acetate as a Precursor

In this work, the assessment of Azadirachta indica, Tagetes erecta, Chrysanthemum morifolium, and Lentinula edodes extracts as catalysts for the green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) was performed. The photocatalytic properties of ZnO NPs were investigated by the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under sunlight irradiation. UV-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric (TGA), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis (BET) were used for the characterization of samples. The XRD results indicate that all synthesized nanoparticles have a hexagonal wurtzite crystalline structure, which was confirmed by TEM. Further, TEM analysis proved the formation of spherical and hemispherical nanoparticles of ZnO with a size in the range of 14–32 nm, which were found in aggregate shape; such a size was well below the size of the particles synthesized with no extract (~43 nm). ZnO NPs produced with Tagetes erecta and Lentinula edodes showed the best photocatalytic activity, matching with the maximum adsorbed MB molecules (45.41 and 58.73%, respectively). MB was completely degraded in 45 min using Tagetes erecta and 120 min using Lentinula edodes when subjected to solar irradiation.     

Doping of TiO2–GO and TiO2–rGO with Noble Metals: Synthesis,Characterization and Photocatalytic Performance for Azo Dye Discoloration

The nanocomposites of titania coupled with graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO), respectively, were prepared by homogeneous hydrolysis with urea. Graphene was obtained by effect of high‐intensity cavitation field on natural graphite in the presence of strong aprotic solvents in pressurized ultrasonic reactor. The morphology of TiO₂–GO and TiO₂–rGO composites was assessed by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The nitrogen adsorption–desorption was used for determination of surface area (BET) and porosity. Raman and IR spectroscopy were used for qualitative analysis and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy was employed to estimate band‐gap energies. Further enhancement of the photocatalytic activity was attained by codoping of composites with noble metals—Au, Pd and Pt. The photocatalytic activity of TiO₂–GO and TiO₂–rGO were assessed by photocatalytic decomposition of Orange II dye in an aqueous slurry under UV and visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic activity of noble metals codoped samples was determined with decomposition of Reactive Black 5 azo dye.     

Preparation and characterization of cellulose-ZnO nanocomposite based on ionic liquid ([C4mim]Cl)

Cellulose-ZnO composite was achieved by microwave assisted dissolution of cellulose in ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C₄mim]Cl) followed by addition of premixed ground of Zn(CH₃COO)₂·2H₂O and NaOH. Surface characterization, optical property and thermal stability of nanocomposite were determined by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV–Vis spectroscopy and thermo gravimetric analysis. XRD patterns showed the ZnO in polymer matrix has the wurtzite structure. Presence of zinc oxide nanoparticles and cellulose fibers in the composites were observed by SEM. Band-edge transition of zinc oxide in the nanocomposite occurs in lower wavelength than bulk zinc oxide. Thermal stability of nanocomposite was lower than regenerated cellulose due to catalyst behavior of zinc oxide nanoparticles in cellulose matrix.     

氧化铜/氧化锌/3A分子筛光催化剂的制备及其可见光脱氮性能

采用浸渍法合成了氧化铜/氧化锌/3A分子筛(CuO/ZnO/3A)复合催化剂,并利用X射线粉末衍射(XRD)、紫外-可见漫反射光谱(UV-Vis DRS)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)等技术手段对催化剂的结构及性能进行了系统的表征;以吡啶-正辛烷体系为模拟油品氮源,系统研究了该催化剂在可见光作用下的光催化脱氮行为,并系统考察了催化剂的制备条件、用量及催化时间对其脱氮性能的影响。 结果表明,随着锌源与铜源加入量的增加,CuO/ZnO/3A复合物的光催化活性,呈现先增大后降低的规律。 在400 ℃煅烧5 h的情况下,当锌源的加入质量分数为9.8%,铜源的加入质量分数为28.6%时,在可见光照射条件下,反应150 min后,CuO/ZnO/3A复合催化剂对50 mL吡啶质量分数为100 μg/g的模拟油品中吡啶的脱氮率达到74.78%。     

Silver ferrite–graphene nanocomposite and its good photocatalytic performance in air and visible light for organic dye removal

Silver ferrite–graphene (AgFeO₂‐G) as a nanocomposite photocatalyst shows potent visible‐light photocatalytic activity for the degradation of organic contaminants, and generates the strong oxidants hydroxyl radical (^•OH) and superoxide anion radical (O₂^•−) via photoelectrochemical decomposition of H₂O and O₂ in the presence of air and visible light irradiation. The photogenerated electrons of AgFeO₂ can transfer easily from the conduction band to the reduced graphene oxide, efficiently preventing the direct recombination of electrons and holes. As a matter of fact, AgFeO₂ has a low bandgap. Furthermore, AgFeO₂ nanoparticles themselves have a magnetic property, which makes them magnetically separable. The experimental results show that the graphene nanosheets in the nanocomposite catalyst are exfoliated and decorated homogeneously with AgFeO₂ nanoparticles. The photodegradation occurs in a short time (ca 40 min). Also, the photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposite does not show any clear loss after ten recycles of the degradation process.     

Reduced-graphene-oxide-wrapped BiOI-AgI heterostructured nanocomposite as a high-performance photocatalyst for dye degradation under solar light irradiation

Solar photocatalytic water treatment has emerged as a promising way to provide clean water. However, most traditional photocatalysts (TiO₂, ZnO, etc.) are active only under ultraviolet light and have high recombination rates of photoinduced electron-hole pairs; therefore, they are not sufficient to fulfill all of the demands of practical applications. This problem could be overcome by developing highly solar-light-active and durable heterostructured photocatalysts. In this study, a new solar-light-active heterostructured reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/BiOI/AgI photocatalyst was successfully fabricated through a simple precipitation method. The resultant heterostructured RGO/BiOI/AgI nanocomposite exhibited extraordinary photocatalytic performance in the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under simulated sunlight irradiation. The measured rate constant of the RGO/BiOI/AgI nanocomposite was six times higher than that of bare BiOI nanostructures. Its extraordinary capacity for harvesting full-spectrum light and long-term stability makes the RGO/BiOI/AgI nanocomposite a potential photocatalyst for environmental remediation.