Photocatalytic properties of ZnO/CuO nanocomposite prepared in acidic media

Document Type : UFGNSM Conference

Authors

1 School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

In this work, the ZnO/CuO nanocomposite was synthesized with two different initial pH values in an acidic media through a simple one-step and cost-efficient chemical bath precipitation method. To alter the pH value of the solution, nitric acid was added dropwise and initial pH values were 1.5 and 4.5, respectively. The crystal phase structure of the samples was investigated by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), indicating the formation of wurtzite structure of ZnO and monoclinic structure of CuO. Additionally, the morphological structure of the as-formed nanocomposites was studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). It was demonstrated that at pH = 4.5 and 1.5, ZnO nanorods/CuO nanoflakes and ZnO nanoparticles/CuO nanosheets were formed, respectively. For optical characterizations, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and photoluminescence (PL) spectra were performed. The band gap energy of the as-prepared samples was calculated at 3.08 and 2.9 eV with an initial pH of 1.5 and 4.5, respectively. Furthermore, PL data revealed that the sample synthesized in pH = 4.5 exhibits a significant decrease in electron/hole recombination rate compared with that of the sample fabricated in pH = 1.5. Accordingly, the photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared samples was studied employing methylene blue (MB) under visible-light irradiation. Overall, the prepared sample at pH = 4.5 and pH = 1.5 demonstrated ~76% and ~66% photo-degradation efficiency of MB after 150 min, respectively. Finally, the role of holes and hydroxyl radicals on the degradation of MB were proposed using charge carrier scavengers.

Keywords

References

  1.  

    1. Munawar T, Yasmeen S, Hussain A, Akram M, Iqbal F. Novel direct dual-Z-scheme ZnO-Er2O3-Yb2O3 heterostructured nanocomposite with superior photocatalytic and antibacterial activity. Materials Letters. 2020;264:127357.
    2. Saad AM, Abukhadra MR, Abdel-Kader Ahmed S, Elzanaty AM, Mady AH, Betiha MA, et al. Photocatalytic degradation of malachite green dye using chitosan supported ZnO and Ce–ZnO nano-flowers under visible light. Journal of Environmental Management. 2020;258:110043.
    3. Das D, Karmakar L. Optimization of Si doping in ZnO thin films and fabrication of n-ZnO:Si/p-Si heterojunction solar cells. Journal of Alloys and Compounds. 2020;824:153902.
    4. Rahman F. Zinc oxide light-emitting diodes: a review. Optical Engineering. 2019;58(01):1.
    5. Li H, Zhao L, Meng J, Pan C, Zhang Y, Zhang Y, et al. Triboelectric-polarization-enhanced high sensitive ZnO UV sensor. Nano Today. 2020;33:100873.
    6. Mahajan P, Singh A, Arya S. Improved performance of solution processed organic solar cells with an additive layer of sol-gel synthesized ZnO/CuO core/shell nanoparticles. Journal of Alloys and Compounds. 2020;814:152292.
    7. Kumari V, Sharma S, Sharma A, Kumari K, Kumar N. Hydrothermal synthesis conditions effect on hierarchical ZnO/CuO hybrid materials and their photocatalytic activity. Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics. 2021;32(7):9596-610.
    8. Rakhsha AH, Abdizadeh H, Pourshaban E, Golobostanfard MR, Mastelaro VR, Montazerian M. Ag and Cu doped ZnO nanowires: A pH-Controlled synthesis via chemical bath deposition. Materialia. 2019;5:100212.
    9. Xu L, Zhou Y, Wu Z, Zheng G, He J, Zhou Y. Improved photocatalytic activity of nanocrystalline ZnO by coupling with CuO. Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids. 2017;106:29-36.
    10. Naseri A, Samadi M, Mahmoodi NM, Pourjavadi A, Mehdipour H, Moshfegh AZ. Tuning Composition of Electrospun ZnO/CuO Nanofibers: Toward Controllable and Efficient Solar Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 2017;121(6):3327-38.
    11. Nami M, Rakhsha A, Sheibani S, Abdizadeh H. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanorods/CuO nanourchins composite prepared by chemical bath precipitation. Materials Science and Engineering: B. 2021;271:115262.
    12. Mwankemwa BS, Nambala FJ, Kyeyune F, Hlatshwayo TT, Nel JM, Diale M. Influence of ammonia concentration on the microstructure, electrical and raman properties of low temperature chemical bath deposited ZnO nanorods. Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing. 2017;71:209-16.
    13. Verrier C, Appert E, Chaix-Pluchery O, Rapenne L, Rafhay Q, Kaminski-Cachopo A, et al. Effects of the pH on the Formation and Doping Mechanisms of ZnO Nanowires Using Aluminum Nitrate and Ammonia. Inorganic Chemistry. 2017;56(21):13111-22.
    14. Gerbreders V, Krasovska M, Sledevskis E, Gerbreders A, Mihailova I, Tamanis E, et al. Hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO nanostructures with controllable morphology change. CrystEngComm. 2020;22(8):1346-58.
    15. Hezam A, Namratha K, Drmosh QA, Chandrashekar BN, Sadasivuni KK, Yamani ZH, et al. Heterogeneous growth mechanism of ZnO nanostructures and the effects of their morphology on optical and photocatalytic properties. CrystEngComm. 2017;19(24):3299-312.
    16. Lee M-K, Shih T-H, Chen P-C. Zinc Oxide and Zinc Hydroxide Growth Controlled by Nitric Acid in Zinc Nitrate and Hexamethylenetetramine. Journal of The Electrochemical Society. 2009;156(4):H268.
    17. Deng X, Wang C, Shao M, Xu X, Huang J. Low-temperature solution synthesis of CuO/Cu2O nanostructures for enhanced photocatalytic activity with added H2O2: synergistic effect and mechanism insight. RSC Advances. 2017;7(8):4329-38.
    18. Azad S, Sadeghi E, Parvizi R, Mazaheri A. Fast response relative humidity clad-modified multimode optical fiber sensor with hydrothermally dimension controlled ZnO nanorods. Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing. 2017;66:200-6.
    19. Strano V, Urso RG, Scuderi M, Iwu KO, Simone F, Ciliberto E, et al. Double Role of HMTA in ZnO Nanorods Grown by Chemical Bath Deposition. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 2014;118(48):28189-95.
    20. Liao A-Z, Zhu W-D, Chen J-B, Zhang X-Q, Wang C-W. Vertically aligned single-crystalline ultra-thin CuO nanosheets: Low-temperature fabrication, growth mechanism, and excellent field emission. Journal of Alloys and Compounds. 2014;609:253-61.
    21. Zhang Z, Yi JB, Ding J, Wong LM, Seng HL, Wang SJ, et al. Cu-Doped ZnO Nanoneedles and Nanonails: Morphological Evolution and Physical Properties. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 2008;112(26):9579-85.
    22. Muhambihai P, Rama V, Subramaniam P. Photocatalytic degradation of aniline blue, brilliant green and direct red 80 using NiO/CuO, CuO/ZnO and ZnO/NiO nanocomposites. Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring & Management. 2020;14:100360.
    23. Tauc J, Grigorovici R, Vancu A. Optical Properties and Electronic Structure of Amorphous Germanium. physica status solidi (b). 1966;15(2):627-37.
    24. Jiang J, Mu Z, Xing H, Wu Q, Yue X, Lin Y. Insights into the synergetic effect for enhanced UV/visible-light activated photodegradation activity via Cu-ZnO photocatalyst. Applied Surface Science. 2019;478:1037-45.
    25. Al-Gaashani R, Radiman S, Daud AR, Tabet N, Al-Douri Y. XPS and optical studies of different morphologies of ZnO nanostructures prepared by microwave methods. Ceramics International. 2013;39(3):2283-92.
    26. Zhao J-H, Liu C-J, Lv Z-H. Photoluminescence of ZnO nanoparticles and nanorods. Optik. 2016;127(3):1421-3.
    27. Zeng H, Duan G, Li Y, Yang S, Xu X, Cai W. Blue Luminescence of ZnO Nanoparticles Based on Non-Equilibrium Processes: Defect Origins and Emission Controls. Advanced Functional Materials. 2010;20(4):561-72.
    28. Siddiqui H, Parra MR, Haque FZ. Optimization of process parameters and its effect on structure and morphology of CuO nanoparticle synthesized via the sol−gel technique. Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology. 2018;87(1):125-35.
    29. Yoon J, Oh S-G. Synthesis of amine modified ZnO nanoparticles and their photocatalytic activities in micellar solutions under UV irradiation. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. 2021;96:390-6.
    30. Momina, Mohammad S, Suzylawati I. Study of the adsorption/desorption of MB dye solution using bentonite adsorbent coating. Journal of Water Process Engineering. 2020;34:101155.
    31. Nami M, Sheibani S, Rashchi F. Photocatalytic performance of coupled semiconductor ZnO–CuO nanocomposite coating prepared by a facile brass anodization process. Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing. 2021;135:106083.
    32. Liu B, Yin D, Zhao F, Khaing KK, Chen T, Wu C, et al. Construction of a Novel Z-Scheme Heterojunction with Molecular Grafted Carbon Nitride Nanosheets and V2O5 for Highly Efficient Photocatalysis. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 2019;123(7):4193-203.
    33. Ahmed Y, Yaakob Z, Akhtar P. Degradation and mineralization of methylene blue using a heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalyst under visible and solar light irradiation. Catalysis Science & Technology. 2016;6(4):1222-32.
    34. Jourshabani M, Lee B-K, Shariatinia Z. From Traditional Strategies to Z-scheme Configuration in Graphitic Carbon Nitride Photocatalysts: Recent Progress and Future Challenges. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental. 2020;276:119157.
    35. El‐Salamony RA, Hassan SA. Reforming of Rice Ash Waste by Incorporated Nanotitania in Silica Framework for Photo‐catalytic Treatment of Wastewater. Applied Organometallic Chemistry. 2020;34(10).
    36. Yu W, Liu J, Yi M, Yang J, Dong W, Wang C, et al. Active faceted Cu2O hollow nanospheres for unprecedented adsorption and visible-light degradation of pollutants. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. 2020;565:207-17.
    37. Chen D, Cheng Y, Zhou N, Chen P, Wang Y, Li K, et al. Photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants using TiO2-based photocatalysts: A review. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2020;268:121725.
    38. Viswanathan B. Photocatalytic Degradation of Dyes: An Overview. Current Catalysis. 2018;7(2):99-121.
    39. Vaiano V, Sacco O, Stoller M, Chianese A, Ciambelli P, Sannino D. Influence of the Photoreactor Configuration and of Different Light Sources in the Photocatalytic Treatment of Highly Polluted Wastewater. International Journal of Chemical Reactor Engineering. 2014;12(1):63-75.
    40. Variar AG, M.S R, Ail VU, S SP, K S, Tahir M. Influence of various operational parameters in enhancing photocatalytic reduction efficiency of carbon dioxide in a photoreactor: A review. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. 2021;99:19-47.
    41. Bharathi P, Harish S, Archana J, Navaneethan M, Ponnusamy S, Muthamizhchelvan C, et al. Enhanced charge transfer and separation of hierarchical CuO/ZnO composites: The synergistic effect of photocatalysis for the mineralization of organic pollutant in water. Applied Surface Science. 2019;484:884-91.
    42. Ruan S, Huang W, Zhao M, Song H, Gao Z. A Z-scheme mechanism of the novel ZnO/CuO n-n heterojunction for photocatalytic degradation of Acid Orange 7. Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing. 2020;107:104835.

     

Journal of Ultrafine Grained and Nanostructured Materials
Volume 55, Issue 1
June 2022
Pages 21-30

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 11 October 2021
  • Revise Date: 10 March 2022
  • Accept Date: 11 March 2022

Share

How to cite

Statistics