Modified activated carbon loaded with bio-synthesized Ag/ZnO nanocomposite and its application for the removal of Cr (VI) ions from aqueous solution

Ag-ZnO/PANI nanocomposite was prepared via the sol-gel technique following in situ oxidative polymerization of polyaniline (PANI). XRD, UV-Vis, and FT-IR spectroscopy were employed to study the crystal size, bandgap energy, and bond structure of as-synthesized nanocomposites. The mean crystallite size of the nanocomposite determined from XRD was 35.68 nm. Photocatalytic degradation of malachite green (MG) dye using as-synthesized photocatalysts was studied under visible light irradiation. The highest degradation efficiency was recorded for Ag-ZnO/PANI nanocomposites (98.58%) than Ag-ZnO nanoparticles (88.23%) in 120 min. The kinetics of photocatalytic degradation of MG follows pseudo-first-order reaction with rate order of 1.16 10−2 min−1. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity of Ag-ZnO/PANI nanocomposites was evaluated and compared with Ce-Cd oxide, electrospun P(3HB)-TiO2, and with other catalysts in the literature. The optimal conditions for photocatalytic degradation are as follows: the concentration of malachite green (0.2 g/l), pH (8), and the concentration of catalyst load (0.2 g/l) under visible light with an irradiation time of 120 min.

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Polyaniline Supported Ag-Doped ZnO Nanocomposite: Synthesis, Characterization, and Kinetics Study for Photocatalytic Degradation of Malachite Green

In this study, the physical properties of ZnO were facile controlled by the synthesis method with the addition of capping and precipitation agents. As-prepared ZnO samples had different morphologies such as carnation flower-like ZnO (CF-ZnO), rose-flower-like ZnO (RF-ZnO), rod-like ZnO (R-ZnO), and nanoparticle ZnO (N-ZnO) and were characterized by SEM, XRD, N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms, FT-IR, and DR/UV-vis. All samples had a crystallite structure of hexagonal wurtzite type. The CF-ZnO and RF-ZnO samples had the hierarchical structure like a carnation flower and a beautiful rose, respectively. R-ZnO was composed of many hexagonal rods and few spherical particles, while N-ZnO microstructures were made up of nanoparticles with approximately 20-30 nm, exhibiting the largest surface area, pore volume, and pore width among as-prepared samples, and their crystal size and bandgap energy were 17.8 nm and 3.207 eV, respectively. The catalytic performances of ZnO samples were evaluated by degradation of Tartrazine (TA) and Caffeine (CAF) under low UV irradiation (15 W). N-ZnO showed a high photocatalytic activity compared to other samples. Besides, the reaction kinetics was investigated by the first-order kinetic model, and the catalytic performance of ZnO was evaluated through several organic pollutants.

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Facile Controlling of the Physical Properties of Zinc Oxide and Its Application to Enhanced Photocatalysis.

Investigation of shape effect of silver nanostructures and governing physical mechanisms on photo-activity: Zinc oxide/silver plasmonic photocatalyst

As a semiconductor photocatalyst, zinc oxide (ZnO) possesses a high oxidative capacity, strong photosensitivity, modest stability, and tunable band structure, which has induced global interest in photocatalytic fuels generation and environmental remediation. However, pristine ZnO suffers from the constraints of visible solar response, swift recombination of excitons and photocorrosion, which significantly lower its photocatalytic performances. On account of unique features, rare earth oxides and carbonaceous materials can be integrated to tune the energy band gap of ZnO to promote the photocatalytic efficiency. This review is focused on rare earth oxides and carbonaceous materials modified ZnO-based composites by highlighting their photocatalytic applications, such as degradation of pollutants, H2 evolution and CO2 reduction. Finally, a summary and future perspectives in this research direction are also provided in this review. 

Recent Progress in Rare Earth Oxides and Carbonaceous Materials Modified ZnO Heterogeneous Photocatalysts for Environmental and Energy Applications

Zinc oxide (ZnO) has been known as an excellent photocatalyst for the degradation of a variety of organic pollutants under UV irradiation. This work describes a synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles via a facile precipitation method, and Ag was doped into Ag/ZnO nanocomposite to improve the photocatalytic degradation of BPA under visible light irradiation. The obtained ZnO nanoparticles were 20 nm in size and had a relatively high surface area and pore volume, 26.2 m2/g and 0.48 cm3/g, respectively. The deposition of Ag led to a decrease in the surface area, pore volume, and band gap energy ( ) of ZnO nanoparticles. However, the photocatalytic activity of Ag/ZnO composite in the case increased. The performance of ZnO was compared with Ag/ZnO composites at the different molar ratios, and the kinetic reaction of BPA in these catalysts was investigated by the first-order kinetic model. The sample of Ag/ZnO-10 composite had the highest catalytic activity and showed the degradation efficiency, reaction rate, and degradation capacity of 100% in 120 min, 0.014 min-1, and 40 mg/g, respectively. In comparison, the effects of Ag/ZnO molar ratio, catalyst dosage, solution pH, and concentration of BPA on photocatalytic degradation were investigated. Additionally, the photocatalytic performance of Ag/ZnO-10 composite was evaluated by the degradation of other persistent organic compounds such as phenol, tartrazine, and methylene blue and compared to other catalysts in literature.

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Facile Preparation of ZnO Nanoparticles and Ag/ZnO Nanocomposite and Their Photocatalytic Activities under Visible Light

This study aimed to synthesize Ag•ZnO•Activated carbon (Ag•ZnO•AC ) composite from rice husk for degradation of dyes. The deposition of Ag and ZnO on AC led to decreasing the surface area and pore volume of Ag•ZnO•AC composite. In addition, when Ag and ZnO were dispersed on activated carbon, the Ag•ZnO flakes became denser and tighter, but the particle size of Ag became smaller from 5 to 7 nm. The photocatalytic ability of Ag•ZnO•AC composite was evaluated by degradation of Janus Green B (JGB) and compared with that of AC, ZnO, Ag•ZnO, and ZnO•AC samples. The effects of catalyst dosages, pH values, and initial dye concentrations on photocatalytic degradation were investigated in detail. The Ag•ZnO•AC composite had a high degradation efficiency of 100% in 60 min, showing the reaction rate of 0.120 min-1 and degradation capacity of 17.8 mg/g within 20 min. The photocatalytic performance of the Ag•ZnO•AC composite was also evaluated by cyclic test and the degradation of other persistent dyes such as Methylene Blue, Tartrazine, Congo Red, and organic compounds (Caffeine and Bisphenol A). Based on the experimental results, the possible destruction route of JGB by the as-synthesized Ag•ZnO•AC composite was suggested. Copyright © 2020 BCREC Group. All rights reserved

Synthesis of Nano-Flakes Ag•ZnO•Activated Carbon Composite from Rice Husk as A Photocatalyst under Solar Light

Zinc oxide (ZnO) has been shown as a potential photocatalyst under ultraviolet (UV) light but its catalytic activity has a limitation under visible (Vis) light due to the wide bandgap energy and the rapid recombination of electrons and holes. Thus, hierarchical structure Au/ZnO composites were fabricated by the hydrothermal method and chemical reduction method for enhanced photocatalytic performance under visible light. As-prepared composites were characterized by UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DR/UV-Vis), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The Au/ZnO-5 composite showed the highest adsorption among as-prepared samples in the range of 250-550 nm, having bandgap energy of 0.13 eV. Au nanoparticles of about 3-5 nm were well dispersed on hierarchical flower ZnO with approximately 10-15 μm. The EPR signal at on both ZnO and Au/ZnO samples was attributed to oxygen vacancy Vo•, but the presence of Au led to a decrease in signal strength of Au/ZnO composite, showing the degradation efficiency (DE) and reaction rate of 99.2% and 0.109 min-1, respectively; these were larger than those of other samples. The effects of reaction parameters and oxidizing agents on photocatalytic performance were investigated and showed that the presence of H2O2 and O2 could improve the reaction of composite. In addition, the kinetic and photocatalytic mechanism of tartrazine (TA) on catalysts were studied by the first-order kinetic model and characterized analyses.

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Preparation of Hierarchical Structure Au/ZnO Composite for Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance: Characterization, Effects of Reaction Parameters, and Oxidizing Agent Investigations

Minh Viet Nguyen

Papers

Facile Preparation of ZnO Nanoparticles and Ag/ZnO Nanocomposite and Their Photocatalytic Activities under Visible Light

Synthesis of Nano-Flakes Ag•ZnO•Activated Carbon Composite from Rice Husk as A Photocatalyst under Solar Light

Preparation of Hierarchical Structure Au/ZnO Composite for Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance: Characterization, Effects of Reaction Parameters, and Oxidizing Agent Investigations