Carbon-Based Ternary Nanocomposite: Bullet Type ZnO–SWCNT–CuO for Substantial Solar-Driven Photocatalytic Decomposition of Aqueous Organic Contaminants
A facile two-step synthesis of ternary hetero-composites of ZnO, CuO, and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) was developed through a recrystallization process followed by annealing. A series of nanocomposites were prepared by varying the weight ratio of copper(II) acetate hydrate and zinc(II) a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Molecules |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/24/8812 |
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| author | Santu Shrestha Kamal Prasad Sapkota Insup Lee Md Akherul Islam Anil Pandey Narayan Gyawali Jeasmin Akter Harshavardhan Mohan Taeho Shin Sukmin Jeong Jae Ryang Hahn |
| author_facet | Santu Shrestha Kamal Prasad Sapkota Insup Lee Md Akherul Islam Anil Pandey Narayan Gyawali Jeasmin Akter Harshavardhan Mohan Taeho Shin Sukmin Jeong Jae Ryang Hahn |
| author_sort | Santu Shrestha |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A facile two-step synthesis of ternary hetero-composites of ZnO, CuO, and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) was developed through a recrystallization process followed by annealing. A series of nanocomposites were prepared by varying the weight ratio of copper(II) acetate hydrate and zinc(II) acetate dihydrate and keeping the weight ratio of SWCNTs constant. The results revealed the formation of heterojunctions (ZnO–SWCNT–CuO, ZSC) of three crystal structures adjacent to each other, forming a ternary wurtzite-structured nanoparticles along with defects. Enhanced charge separation (electron-hole pairs), reduced band gap, defect-enhanced specific surface area, and promoted oxidation potential were key factors for the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the ternary nanocomposites. OH<sup>•</sup> radicals were the main active species during dye degradation, and O<sub>2</sub><sup>−•</sup> and <i>h</i><sup>+</sup> were also involved to a lesser extent. A type II heterojunction mechanism approach is proposed based on the charge carrier migration pattern. Among the synthesized nanocomposites, the sample prepared using copper(II) acetate hydrate and zinc(II) acetate dihydrate in a 1: 9 ratio (designated a ZSC3) showed the highest photocatalytic activity. ZSC3 achieved 99.2% photodecomposition of methylene blue in 20 min, 94.1% photodecomposition of Congo red in 60 min, and 99.6% photodecomposition of Rhodamine B in 40 min under simulated sunlight. Additionally, ZSC3 showed excellent reusability and stability, maintaining 96.7% of its activity even after five successive uses. Based on overall results, the ZSC sample was proposed as an excellent candidate for water purification applications. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:02:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5aad9ec680834b25964c52ba1448dfd0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:02:11Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj.art-5aad9ec680834b25964c52ba1448dfd02023-11-24T16:57:48ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492022-12-012724881210.3390/molecules27248812Carbon-Based Ternary Nanocomposite: Bullet Type ZnO–SWCNT–CuO for Substantial Solar-Driven Photocatalytic Decomposition of Aqueous Organic ContaminantsSantu Shrestha0Kamal Prasad Sapkota1Insup Lee2Md Akherul Islam3Anil Pandey4Narayan Gyawali5Jeasmin Akter6Harshavardhan Mohan7Taeho Shin8Sukmin Jeong9Jae Ryang Hahn10Department of Chemistry, Research Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Chemistry, Research Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Chemistry, Research Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Bioactive Material Sciences, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Chemistry, Research Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Chemistry, Research Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Chemistry, Research Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Chemistry, Research Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Chemistry, Research Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Physics, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Chemistry, Research Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of KoreaA facile two-step synthesis of ternary hetero-composites of ZnO, CuO, and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) was developed through a recrystallization process followed by annealing. A series of nanocomposites were prepared by varying the weight ratio of copper(II) acetate hydrate and zinc(II) acetate dihydrate and keeping the weight ratio of SWCNTs constant. The results revealed the formation of heterojunctions (ZnO–SWCNT–CuO, ZSC) of three crystal structures adjacent to each other, forming a ternary wurtzite-structured nanoparticles along with defects. Enhanced charge separation (electron-hole pairs), reduced band gap, defect-enhanced specific surface area, and promoted oxidation potential were key factors for the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the ternary nanocomposites. OH<sup>•</sup> radicals were the main active species during dye degradation, and O<sub>2</sub><sup>−•</sup> and <i>h</i><sup>+</sup> were also involved to a lesser extent. A type II heterojunction mechanism approach is proposed based on the charge carrier migration pattern. Among the synthesized nanocomposites, the sample prepared using copper(II) acetate hydrate and zinc(II) acetate dihydrate in a 1: 9 ratio (designated a ZSC3) showed the highest photocatalytic activity. ZSC3 achieved 99.2% photodecomposition of methylene blue in 20 min, 94.1% photodecomposition of Congo red in 60 min, and 99.6% photodecomposition of Rhodamine B in 40 min under simulated sunlight. Additionally, ZSC3 showed excellent reusability and stability, maintaining 96.7% of its activity even after five successive uses. Based on overall results, the ZSC sample was proposed as an excellent candidate for water purification applications.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/24/8812ternary hetero-compositephotocatalystdual Z schemeheterojunctionorganic dyescarbon-based photocatalyst |
| spellingShingle | Santu Shrestha Kamal Prasad Sapkota Insup Lee Md Akherul Islam Anil Pandey Narayan Gyawali Jeasmin Akter Harshavardhan Mohan Taeho Shin Sukmin Jeong Jae Ryang Hahn Carbon-Based Ternary Nanocomposite: Bullet Type ZnO–SWCNT–CuO for Substantial Solar-Driven Photocatalytic Decomposition of Aqueous Organic Contaminants Molecules ternary hetero-composite photocatalyst dual Z scheme heterojunction organic dyes carbon-based photocatalyst |
| title | Carbon-Based Ternary Nanocomposite: Bullet Type ZnO–SWCNT–CuO for Substantial Solar-Driven Photocatalytic Decomposition of Aqueous Organic Contaminants |
| title_full | Carbon-Based Ternary Nanocomposite: Bullet Type ZnO–SWCNT–CuO for Substantial Solar-Driven Photocatalytic Decomposition of Aqueous Organic Contaminants |
| title_fullStr | Carbon-Based Ternary Nanocomposite: Bullet Type ZnO–SWCNT–CuO for Substantial Solar-Driven Photocatalytic Decomposition of Aqueous Organic Contaminants |
| title_full_unstemmed | Carbon-Based Ternary Nanocomposite: Bullet Type ZnO–SWCNT–CuO for Substantial Solar-Driven Photocatalytic Decomposition of Aqueous Organic Contaminants |
| title_short | Carbon-Based Ternary Nanocomposite: Bullet Type ZnO–SWCNT–CuO for Substantial Solar-Driven Photocatalytic Decomposition of Aqueous Organic Contaminants |
| title_sort | carbon based ternary nanocomposite bullet type zno swcnt cuo for substantial solar driven photocatalytic decomposition of aqueous organic contaminants |
| topic | ternary hetero-composite photocatalyst dual Z scheme heterojunction organic dyes carbon-based photocatalyst |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/24/8812 |
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