Pornapa Sujaridworakun

Synthesis of Visible-Light Responsive CdS/ZnO Nanocomposite Photocatalysts via Simple Precipitation Method

A visible-light responsive CdS/ZnO nanocomposite photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by precipitation of CdS nanoparticles, using Cd (NO3)2 and Na2S as starting materials, on ZnO nanoparticles and then calcined at 400°C for 2 hours. The effects of the mole ratio of CdS and ZnO in the composites on their phase, morphology, and surface area were investigated by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Brunauer Emmett Teller method (BET), respectively. The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue solution in the presence of composite products under visible-light irradiation was investigated. The results showed that the mole ratio of CdS and ZnO played a significant role on photocatalytic performance. The highest photocatalytic activity was obtained from the CdS/ZnO nanocomposite with mole ratio of 1:4, which is higher than that of pure CdS and pure ZnO.

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticle from Zinc-Dust Waste for Photocatalytic and Antibacterial Applications

ZnO nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by using zinc dust waste derived from hot-dip galvanizing process as a starting materials via simple hydrothermal method. The zinc dust powder was dissolved in nitric acid, adjusted pH with NaOH and hydrothermally treated at 120-170°C in an oven. The resultant products were characterized for phase, surface area and morphology by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmet-Taller (BET) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity was investigated by a photodegradation of methylene blue solution under black light irradiation. It was shown that crystallinity of pure ZnO phase, was influenced by solution and hydrothermal treatment temperature. The experimental results exhibited that the crystallinity of ZnO significantly affected its photocatalytic activity. The highest photocatlytic activity was obtained from powders with average crystallite size of 51 nm and surface area of 13.4 m2/g prepared under pH12 and hydrothermally treated at 170°C for 6 h. Moreover, the synthesized ZnO powders performed a good antibacterial activity evaluated using a colony count method with Escherichia coli under the dark condition.

Photocatalytic Performance of ZnO Nanoparticles Synthesized by Microwave-Assisted Process Using Zinc-Dust Waste as a Starting Material

This study aimed to use the zinc dust which is a waste from hot-dip galvanizing plant for the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles using microwave-assisted process. The precursor solution was prepared by dissolved as received zinc-dust powder in nitric acid. Then it was precipitated by NaOH at required pH and microwave irradiated in a household microwave oven at power of 100W for 10-20 min. The effects of preparation conditions and an addition amount of poly ethylene glycol (PEG; MW2000) for synthesis of ZnO on its properties were investigated. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized for their phase structure, morphology and surface area by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), respectively. The photocatalytic activity was determined by the degradation of methylene blue solution under UV irradiation. It was found that microwave heat treatment and addition of optimum amount of PEG could enhance the photocatalytic activity of precipitated ZnO particles. The resultant ZnO particles prepared by an addition of 0.25wt% PEG and microwave irradiation for 20 min exhibited the highest photodegradation rate among other products.

Hydrothermal Synthesis of TiO2/SiO2 Hybrid Photocatalyst from Rice Husk Ash

Photocatalyst materials were prepared as a hybrid between TiO2 /SiO2 via low temperature hydrothermal method (150oC) without further heat treatment. Porous silica from rice husk ash was used as a support for fine TiO2 particles which acted as a photocatalyst when radiated with a UV light. TiO2-deposited SiO2 was successfully prepared through hydrolysis of TiOSO4 solution by controlling synthesis parameters such as pH ,concentration of TiOSO4, temperature and time under hydrothermal treatment. The obtained products were characterized for physical and chemical properties by means of XRD, XRF, BET and TEM . It was found that pH had an influence on the crystallization of TiO2, and under an appropriated pH, only anatase presented along with amorphous phase. High crystallinity of nano-crystalline anatase ( about 5 nm) deposited on silica surface was observed through TEM. Adsorption and photocatalytic performances of the prepared catalyst were evaluated in methylene blue aqueous solution in the dark and under ultraviolet ray irradiation, respectively. Due to the synergetic functions of adsorption by porous substrate and decomposition by TiO2 photocatalyst, an enhancing of photocatalytic activity for decomposition of organic pollutants in water under UV rays was obtained.

Synthesis and Photocatalytic Activity of Visible-Light Responsive BiOBr/GO Composites

High efficiency BiOBr/GO composites photocatalyst were successfully synthesized via a facile precipitation method. The precursors were prepared by dissolving Bi (NO3)3.5H2O and KBr in glycerol and distilled water, respectively. Various amounts (0.1-2 wt%) of graphene oxide were added into the mixed solution precursors, and stirred at room temperature to get precipitated powder without further heat treatment. The obtained products were characterized for phase, morphology, optical properties and surface area by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), filed-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), UV-Vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), respectively. The morphology and structure of as-synthesized samples were composed of numerous fine plates of BiOBr dispersed on the GO sheets. The photocatalytic activities of BiOBr/GO composites were evaluated by rhodamine B degradation under visible light irradiation. As the results, the significant increase in photodegradation of BiOBr/GO composite comparing with pure BiOBr was observed. Among all samples, the composite with 1 wt% of graphene oxide showed the highest photocatalytic performance.

The Effects of Solvents on the Solvothermal Synthesis of BiVO4 Photocatalyst Powders

In this study, the effects of different solvents such as ethanol, ethylene glycol, glycerol on the preparation of BiVO4 via solvothermal process, and the influent of calcination heat treatment were studied. The crystal structure, surface area, morphology and optical properties of the obtained BiVO4 particles were investigated by means of X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Brunauer Emmett Teller method (BET), Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and UV-Vis reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), respectively. XRD patterns reveal that all of the obtained BiVO4 samples prepared by solvothermal at 130°C for 4 h have monoclinic structure. The UV-Vis DRS demonstrates that the band gaps of prepared BiVO4 are about 2.38-2.40 eV. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by photo-degradation of rhodamine B (Rh B) solution under visible light irradiation (λ>420 nm). As the results, the BiVO4 prepared by using ethanol having high crystallinity and surface area showed the highest visible light photocatalytic activity compared to using glycerol and ethylene glycerol, respectively. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity of BiVO4 prepared by using ethylene glycerol and glycerol could be enhanced by calcination heat treatment at 500°C for 2 h.