Kinetics and Mechanism of Acid Orange AO7 Photodegradation Using Ag-Doped ZnO Nanoparticles

Abstract

The photocatalyst degradation process of the azobenzene derivatives is complicated process due to the existence of many interaction combinations. Among these are intermolecular interactions including London dispersion forces (LDF), dipole interactions, and hydrogen bonding. In addition to investigating the mechanism of the photoisomerization process, UV-Vis spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, pH and conductivity measurements were used to investigate and clarify the photocatalytic mechanism and degradation pathway of AO7 using Ag doped ZnO NPs upon long-wavelength UV-irradiation. The kinetic rate constant is divided into two components. The first-rate and second-rate constants are obtained to be 0.014 min-1 and 0.022 min-1, respectively. The average rate constant of the AO7 degradation is a superposition of the rate constants of all frequency bands. This confirms that photocatalyst degradation process of the azobenzene derivatives is sophisticated process.