Visible light active ZnO nanostructures prepared by simple co-precipitation method

• Published in: Photonics and nanostructures Vol. 39; p. 100781
• Main Authors: J, Puneetha, Kottam, Nagaraju, G, Nagaraju, A, Rathna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.05.2020; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Aqueous solutions; Catalytic activity; Co-precipitation method; Coprecipitation; Crystal defects; Crystal violet; Hydrogen peroxide; Light; Nanostructure; Photocatalysis; Photodegradation; Pollutants; Visible light active; Wastewater; Zinc oxide; ZnO nanostructures; ZnO nanostructures; Crystal violet; Visible light active; Co-precipitation method
• ISSN: 1569-4410; 1569-4429
• DOI: 10.1016/j.photonics.2020.100781

[Display omitted] •ZnO nanostructures for visible light directed photodegradation of crystal violet.•Photocatalytic degradation of CV under alkaline pH exhibited higher rate of degradation.•The ZnO showed good and adequate degradation efficiency after various usage cycles. Visible light active photocatalytic processes have gained much interest in removing the organic pollutants from wastewater. In this article, we report the ZnO prepared by a simple co-precipitation method and characterized by PXRD, FE-SEM, TEM, DRS, and FTIR. The photocatalytic activity of ZnO assisted by H2O2 was examined for the degradation of the aqueous solution of Crystal violet (CV) under visible light. The combination of ZnO and H2O2 has enhanced the activity compared to bare ZnO or H2O2 alone under visible light. The influence of H2O2, Catalyst amount, CV concentration and pH were studied. The ZnO nanostructures in the presence of H2O2 exhibited highest photodegradation rate of CV solution under alkaline pH. The observed photodegradation efficiency by the ZnO photocatalyst under visible light is due to the deep level defects within the band gap, which induced in the course of the preparation method of the ZnO nanostructures, which shifts the absorption wavelength band to the visible light region. The ZnO assisted by H2O2 maintained good photostability and repeatability after 4 cycles of degradation under visible light.