In the present report, a novel photocatalyst g-C3N4/Cu-MOF/Nd2O3@NiO was prepared using g-C3N4, Cu-MOF, and Nd2O3@NiO as the individual components using an ultrasonic-assisted wet-impregnation method. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis of the nanocomposite and its individual components were performed for vibrational, morphological, structural, and elemental characterization, respectively. The appearance of vibrational bands at 813 cm-1 for g-C3N4, 665 cm-1 for the Nd-O, 511 cm-1 for NiO, and 599 cm-1 for Cu-O indicates preparation of g-C3N4/Cu-BDC/Nd2O3@NiO nanocomposite. An irregular flake-like morphology of the nanocomposite was observed in SEM images. The appearance of sharp peaks in X-ray diffraction analysis indicated the crystalline nature of the nanocomposite and its individual components. EDX analysis indicated the presence of all elements that made up the composition of the nanocomposite and its individual components. A comprehensive photocatalytic study using nanocomposite and its individual components as photocatalysts was conducted on the degradation of Methylene blue (MB) as a target pollutant. The results indicated that the nanocomposite degraded the target pollutant more efficiently than its individual components at various parameters such as pH, time, concentration of catalyst, and pollutant. The nanocomposite showed maximum degradation of 91% at pH 11, a catalyst dose of 10 mg, and 140 minutes of irradiation time in sunlight. The nanocomposite and its individual components were also tested for the production of Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2), and a higher production rate of 0.19 mg/L was obtained by the nanocomposite.
The present study involves green synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) using aqueous Madhuca Longifolia flower extract from hydrothermal synthesis. The ZnO NPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-visible studies, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), FT-IR, SEM, and EDAX. The NPs were evaluated for photodegradative and antimicrobial activities. UV-visible absorption of ZnO NPs showed an absorption band at 356 nm, which can be assigned to an effective formation of ZnO NPs having appreciable activity in the visible range, confirmed by the Tauc plot showing a 3.21 eV band gap. TEM image confirms the formation of nanoparticles, and the average crystallite sizes were found to be 17-20 nm. Eosin Blue (EB) dye was effectively degraded under sunlight in the minimum quantity of ZnO NPs. Excellent bactericidal activity was shown by the NPs on Gram-positive (Bacillus cereus ATCC13061, Staphylococcus saprophyticus KCTC3345) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli KCTC1682, Salmonella typhimurium KCCM11862) bacteria. Synthesis of multifunctional ZnO NPs using naturally occurring M. longifolia plant flower has been an excellent, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly alternative to chemical methods.
Pure TiO2, ZnO, ZnO/TiO2, and Cu doped ZnO/TiO2 (Cu:ZnO/TiO2) heterojunctions (Type II) photocatalysts were successfully synthesized using a cost-effective room-temperature sol-gel (RTSG) method. Copper (Cu) doping levels ranged from 3 to 9 wt% relative to ZnO. The structural, morphological, optical, and surface chemical properties were characterized using XRD, FESEM, UV-Vis spectroscopy, XPS, and FTIR. Among all samples, 7 wt% Cu:ZnO/TiO2 exhibited a prominent red shift in the absorption edge (from 388.7 to 413.33 nm) and a narrowed band gap of 3.0 eV compared to 3.19 eV for pure TiO2, indicating enhanced visible-light absorption. This optimized photocatalyst demonstrated outstanding photocatalytic efficiency for the first-time degradation of Turquoise Blue G (TBG) dye, achieving 95% degradation within 2.5 h under UV irradiation-1.52 times higher than pure TiO2. The Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) decreased by 77.78%, confirming effective mineralization. Kinetic analysis revealed that the degradation followed pseudo-first-order kinetics, validating the reaction's rate dependence on dye concentration. The recycled photocatalyst retained 84.3% degradation efficiency and 60% COD reduction, indicating excellent reusability. Furthermore, the highest adsorption capacity was observed at lower pH (pH 4), favoring electrostatic attraction. These results establish 7% Cu:ZnO/TiO2 as a robust, reusable, and highly efficient photocatalyst for sustainable dye wastewater treatment.
Mitigating the environmental risks associated with the chemical fabrication of nanoparticles is a pressing necessity. The green synthesis approach is considered a more secure alternative for nanoparticle production due to its cost efficiency, non-toxic nature, and eco-friendliness. Numerous elements influence the efficacy of nanoparticles; notably, the shape of these particles plays a crucial role, as their geometry can dictate their interactions with external factors, including biological organisms and water pollutants. For synthesizing Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnOn), Fig leaf extract was employed, which possesses antifungal, anti-helminthic, and acetylcholinesterase-inhibitory properties. For the first time in his work, he created different shapes of ZnOn with the same co-precipitation procedure and different calcination temperatures (200 degrees C, 400 degrees C, and 600 degrees C). To explore the impact of nanoparticle shape, a range of analytical methods has been utilized. The crystallite sizes of ZnOn were measured using the Debye-Scherrer method at forms of nanoflake, cylinder, and sphere, yielding 25.34 nm, 42.49 nm, and 43.52 nm, respectively. Moreover, UV-vis spectroscopy has identified apeak absorption wavelength of around 380, and characterizes the optical properties of ZnOn. Spherical nanoparticles exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity efficiency, reaching 88% in the first 60 min for ZnOn. The investigation focuses on the degradation process of methylene orange. Anti-microbial characteristics against the gram-negative (E. coli) and gram-positive (S. aureus) are examined by the MIC test for three samples of ZnOn.
Mahrokh Farrokh was born in Qom, Iran, in 1999. She received her B.Sc. in Applied Chemistry (2022) from Bu-Ali Sina University, Iran. She received her M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry (2024) under the supervision of Prof. Mohammad Ali Zolfigol and Prof. Maryam Hajjami. Also, she was also accepted for a Ph. D. in organic chemistry at the Bu-Ali Sina University in the same year. Her research interest is the synthesis, characterization and applications of homogeneous and heterogeneous reagents and catalysts in organic synthesis.
