Cr-N co-doped ZnO nanoparticles: synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic activity for degradation of thymol blue
Here we report the synthesis of CrN co-doped ZnO for the first time. Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were synthesized by direct precipitation method via the reaction between zinc nitrate [Zn(NO3)2 .6H2O] and ammonium carbonate [(NH4)2CO3] in aqueous solutions with proper concentration. Modified photo...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Chemical Society of Ethiopia
2015-07-01
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| Series: | Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Ethiopia |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.ajol.info/index.php/bcse/article/view/119296 |
| Summary: | Here we report the synthesis of CrN co-doped ZnO for the first time. Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were synthesized by direct precipitation method via the reaction between zinc nitrate [Zn(NO3)2 .6H2O] and ammonium carbonate [(NH4)2CO3] in aqueous solutions with proper concentration. Modified photocatalysts were synthesized by the incipient wetness impregnation method (chromium-doped ZnO) and by solid state reactions using ZnO and urea as precursors (nitrogen-doped ZnO). Chromium-nitrogen co-doped ZnO nanomaterials were prepared from the already prepared N-doped ZnO nanomaterials via one step impregnation method. The as-synthesized photocatalysts were investigated by XRD, BET, SEM-EDX, FTIR, and UV–Vis techniques. Photocatalytic degradation of thymol blue using as-synthesized photocatalysts was studied under visible as well as UV irradiations. Highest photocatalytic degradation efficiency of chromium-nitrogen co-doped zinc oxide could be attributed to the lower rate of recombination of the photo-generated electrons and holes as well as to its lower band gap energy as the result of the co-doping. Photocatalytic degradation is found to follow pseudo first order kinetics. |
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| ISSN: | 1011-3924 1726-801X |