Facile Fabrication of ZnO Nanoparticles for efficient dye degradation: Effect of Adipic Acid in photocatalytic activity

Abstract

Photocatalysis is the most environmentally benign and efficient method for degrading organic dyes in water purification. Herein, the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles was achieved by simple homogeneous chemical precipitation via the support of adipic acid and followed the calcination process at elevated temperatures. Based on the physical and morphological characterization analysis, the high crystallinity hexagonal structure with uniform granular shape morphology of the ZnO nanoparticles was formed with a band gap of 3.2 eV. The photocatalytic performance of the ZnO nanoparticles was investigated with the degradation of methylene blue (M.B.) dye as a model compound in an aqueous medium under UV light irradiation. The optimal ZnO-700 nanoparticles demonstrated the highest photocatalytic activity thanks to their large surface area and numerous oxygen vacancies. More importantly, a small amount of photocatalyst (0.4 g/L) successfully degraded M.B. dye from an aqueous solution with 100 % efficiency within just 11 minutes of irradiation time under UV light with protective photocatalytic activity 4 sequential cycles. Besides, in-depth photocatalysis experiments present that via a facile two-step synthesis method, the as-prepared ZnO photocatalysts depict enhanced chemical stability in a harsh environment and efficient photodegradation.