Photoactivity Enhancement of TiO₂ Nanoparticle-decorated ZnO as a Photocatalyst in Methylene Blue Degradation

Abstract

Zinc Oxide (ZnO) and Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) are metal oxides that are commonly used as photocatalysts material due to photoactivity characteristics. ZnO has a better reduction potential, and high electron mobility, but has a lower contact surface area than TiO2. On the other side, TiO2 has a better photoactivity to degrade pollutants referring to high surface area but has lower electron mobility compared to that ZnO. The combination of these two metal oxides is estimated can produce a better photocatalytic activity due to the advantages of each characteristic. Therefore, in this research, the ZnO-TiO2 (1:1) was prepared and investigated. ZnO nanoparticle was synthesized by the sol-gel method using zinc acetate dihydrate as a precursor, before calcining process, anatase TiO2 powder was added to form the composite. Structural, morphological, and optical characteristics of composite powders were analyzed by using XRD, TEM, UV-Vis Spectroscopy, and PL Spectroscopy. The concentration degradation of methylene blue in a solution containing composite material was observed to determine the photocatalytic activity under UV light irradiation for 30 minutes. The XRD spectrum shows the anatase phase of TiO2 and hexagonal wurtzite of ZnO crystal structure. Based on TEM imaging ZnO nanoparticles were attaching to TiO2 surfaces estimated due to van der walls bond. The ZnO/TiO2 shows a better photoactivity up to 20 minutes reaction with a higher degradation constant rate that indicates faster methylene blue degradation.

Spray Coated of ZnO Particles on ePA Nylon-Carbon Fiber Substrate and Its Photocatalytic Activity Evaluation

“…In our previous result, the ZnO particles formed possessed spherical shape and size were less than 50 nm [7]. Figure 3 shows the morphology of the ZnO films.…”

“…The spraying deposition technique (applying temperature treatment) and the gel concentration do not affect crystal structure, such as crystallite size, FWHM, and lattice constants. The photocatalytic activity is slightly affected by surface morphology, (7) 14th International Symposium on Modern Optics and Its Applications Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2696 (2024) 012009…”

“…The ZnO nanoparticle synthesis followed our previous work without modification [7]. Firstly, ZnO nanoparticles were prepared by sol-gel method in reflux condition at 65 o C by adding 1 g Zn (CH3COO)2 2H2O (≥ 98%, Sigma Aldrich) as a precursor into 42 ml methanol as a solvent.…”

“…Before modifying the shape of the substrate, it is necessary to know whether ZnO particles can be appropriately deposited on the surface of the ePA Nylon-Carbon Fiber. Considering our previous result, ZnO nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized at 150℃ [7]. Therefore, this work is a preliminary study of depositing ZnO particles on the ePA Nylon-Carbon Fiber by a sol-gelspray-coating technique.…”

The Catalytic Role of Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles as a Support Material for TiO2 and ZnO on Chlorpyrifos Photodegradation in an Aqueous Solution

“…It has been reported that functionalized ZnO and TiO2 mainly produce •OH and O2 •‾ , which act together in the degradation process [53,54]. In general, SPION@SiO2@ZnO and SPION@SiO2@TiO2 are very similar; however, the difference in their degradation rate stems from the fact that SPION@SiO2@TiO2 has a higher surface area, which improves the ability to harvest incident light and create more surface-active sites [55].…”