ZnO, aside from TiO2, has been considered as a promising material for purification and disinfection of water and air, and remediation of hazardous waste, owing to its high activity, environment-friendly feature and lower cost. However, their poor visible light utilization greatly limited their practical applications. Herein, we demonstrate the fabrication of different aspect ratios of the ZnO nanorods with surface defects by mechanical-assisted thermal decomposition method. The experiments revealed that ZnO nanorods with higher aspect ratio and surface defects show significantly higher photocatalytic performances.

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Effect of aspect ratio and surface defects on the photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanorods

Conducting PANI stimulated ZnO system for visible light photocatalytic degradation of coloured dyes

https://repositorio.uchile.cl/bitstream/handle/2250/132554/ZnOAgCdO-nanocomposite-for-visible-light-induced%20photocatalytic.pdf?sequence=1

ZnO/Ag/CdO nanocomposite for visible light-induced photocatalytic degradation of industrial textile effluents.

In this study, pure ZnO, CeO2 and ZnO/CeO2 nanocomposites were synthesized using a thermal decomposition method and subsequently characterized using different standard techniques. High-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements confirmed the oxidation states and presence of Zn(2+), Ce(4+), Ce(3+) and different bonded oxygen species in the nanocomposites. The prepared pure ZnO and CeO2 as well as the ZnO/CeO2 nanocomposites with various proportions of ZnO and CeO2 were tested for photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange, methylene blue and phenol under visible-light irradiation. The optimized and highly efficient ZnO/CeO2 (90:10) nanocomposite exhibited enhanced photocatalytic degradation performance for the degradation of methyl orange, methylene blue, and phenol as well as industrial textile effluent compared to ZnO, CeO2 and the other investigated nanocomposites. Moreover, the recycling results demonstrate that the ZnO/CeO2 (90:10) nanocomposite exhibited good stability and long-term durability. Furthermore, the prepared ZnO/CeO2 nanocomposites were used for the electrochemical detection of uric acid and ascorbic acid. The ZnO/CeO2 (90:10) nanocomposite also demonstrated the best detection, sensitivity and performance among the investigated materials in this application. These findings suggest that the synthesized ZnO/CeO2 (90:10) nanocomposite could be effectively used in various applications.

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Ce3+-ion-induced visible-light photocatalytic degradation and electrochemical activity of ZnO/CeO2 nanocomposite

A facile and inexpensive route has been developed to synthesize a ternary ZnO/Ag/Mn2O3 nanocomposite having nanorod structures based on the thermal decomposition method. The as-synthesized ternary ZnO/Ag/Mn2O3 nanocomposite was characterized and used for visible light-induced photocatalytic, sensing and antimicrobial studies. The ternary ZnO/Ag/Mn2O3 nanocomposite exhibited excellent and enhanced visible light-induced photocatalytic degradation of industrial textile effluent (real sample analysis) compared to pure ZnO. Sensing studies showed that the ternary ZnO/Ag/Mn2O3 nanocomposite exhibited outstanding and improved detection of uric acid (UA) and ascorbic acid (AA). It also showed effective and efficient bactericidal activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. These results suggest that the small size, high surface area and synergistic effect among ZnO, AgNPs and Mn2O3 induced visible light photocatalytic activity by decreasing the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes, and extending the response of pure ZnO to visible light, enhanced sensing of UA and AA and antimicrobial activity. Overall, the ternary ZnO/Ag/Mn2O3 nanocomposite is a valuable material that can be used for a range of applications, such as visible light-induced photocatalysis, sensing and antimicrobial activity. Therefore, ternary nanocomposites could have important applications in environmental science, sensing, and biological fields.

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ZnO/Ag/Mn2O3 nanocomposite for visible light-induced industrial textile effluent degradation, uric acid and ascorbic acid sensing and antimicrobial activity

ZnO/Ag nanocomposite: An efficient catalyst for degradation studies of textile effluents under visible light

The photocatalytic activity of ZnO prepared by simple thermal decomposition method at various temperatures

Nanocrystalline Fe 53 Co 47 alloy was synthesized by a single-step transmetallation chemical method at room temperature. The Fe 53 Co 47 alloy nanoparticles of 77 and 47wt% were dispersed in silica matrix by the sol-gel process using tetraethyl orthosilcate. Structural studies reveal that the as-prepared alloy powders are in bcc phase and silica is in an amorphous state. The phase-transition temperature and Mossbauer spectra analysis of the Fe-Co alloy establishes the homogeneous alloy formation. A saturation magnetization of 218 emu/g was obtained for pure FeCo allay at room temperature. Scanning electron microscopic analysis demonstrates the hollow-sphere morphology for FeCo alloy particles. Magnetic nanocomposite consisting of 47 wt% FeCo-silica shows enhanced thermal stability over the native FeCo alloy. Electrical and dielectric properties of 47 wt% FeCo-silica nanocomposites were investigated as a function of frequency and temperature. It was found that the dielectric constants and dielectric loss were stable throughout the measured temperature (310-373 K). Our results indicate that FeCo-silica nanocomposite is a promising candidate for high-frequency applications.

Magnetic, electric and dielectric properties of FeCo alloy nanoparticles dispersed in amorphous matrix

In this paper, we report a simple synthesis of Fe2O3 nanoparticles using hydrothermal method. The formation of the sample was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and UV–Visible absorption spectroscopy. The average crystallite size of the synthesized Fe2O3 nanoparticles was estimated to be 61 nm and the particles were of good crystalline nature. Field emission-scanning electron microscopy study of the sample revealed that the Fe2O3 powder has rod-like morphology which is composed of nanoparticles. The vibrating sample magnetometer measurement shows that the nanoparticles possess ferromagnetic property. The synthesized Fe2O3 nanoparticles were used to modify glassy carbon electrode (Fe2O3/GCE) and the modified electrode was used to detect pyrocatechol (PC) in a pH 7.4 phosphate buffer solutions by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. At the Fe2O3/GCE, PC is oxidized at less positive potential with larger current response than the bare GCE. The proposed sensor exhibits great potential in the field of electrochemical sensing of PC.

E. Thirumal

Papers

ZnO/Ag nanocomposite: An efficient catalyst for degradation studies of textile effluents under visible light

The photocatalytic activity of ZnO prepared by simple thermal decomposition method at various temperatures

Magnetic, electric and dielectric properties of FeCo alloy nanoparticles dispersed in amorphous matrix

Fabrication of iron oxide nanoparticles: magnetic and electrochemical sensing property

Structural and magnetic investigations on metastable Ag–Fe nanophase alloy