Green Synthesis and Characterization of a ZnO-ZrO<sub>2</sub> Heterojunction for Environmental and Biological Applications
The zinc oxide–zirconium dioxide (ZnO-ZrO<sub>2</sub>) heterojunction was prepared by a green method using rubber leaves as reducing and capping agents. Various physicochemical techniques were used to study the chemical composition and the structural and optical properties of the synthes...
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MDPI AG
2021-12-01
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author | Sirajul Haq Humma Afsar Manel Ben Ali Mohammed Almalki Bander Albogami Amor Hedfi |
author_facet | Sirajul Haq Humma Afsar Manel Ben Ali Mohammed Almalki Bander Albogami Amor Hedfi |
author_sort | Sirajul Haq |
collection | DOAJ |
description | The zinc oxide–zirconium dioxide (ZnO-ZrO<sub>2</sub>) heterojunction was prepared by a green method using rubber leaves as reducing and capping agents. Various physicochemical techniques were used to study the chemical composition and the structural and optical properties of the synthesized nanocomposite. The nature of the heterojunction was confirmed through X-ray diffraction and the average sizes of ZnO and ZrO<sub>2</sub> crystallites were found to be 70 and 24 nm, respectively. The photocatalytic potential of the ZnO-ZrO<sub>2</sub> heterojunction was examined against rhodamine 6G (Rh-6G), and 97.30 percent of the dye was degraded due to the synergistic effect of the light and the catalyst. The commercial ZnO nanopowder was used as a reference catalyst and 86.32 percent degradation was noted under the same reaction conditions. The in vitro antioxidant activity was also performed to scavenge the 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) free radicals, where the activity of the ZnO-ZrO<sub>2</sub> heterojunction was found to be higher than the ascorbic acid. |
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spelling | doaj.art-e5cec4b9c9144a6f8cf1069a370aaab02023-11-23T07:48:37ZengMDPI AGCrystals2073-43522021-12-011112150210.3390/cryst11121502Green Synthesis and Characterization of a ZnO-ZrO<sub>2</sub> Heterojunction for Environmental and Biological ApplicationsSirajul Haq0Humma Afsar1Manel Ben Ali2Mohammed Almalki3Bander Albogami4Amor Hedfi5Department of Chemistry, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad 13100, PakistanDepartment of Chemistry, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad 13100, PakistanDepartment of Biology, College of Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Biology, College of Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Biology, College of Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Biology, College of Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi ArabiaThe zinc oxide–zirconium dioxide (ZnO-ZrO<sub>2</sub>) heterojunction was prepared by a green method using rubber leaves as reducing and capping agents. Various physicochemical techniques were used to study the chemical composition and the structural and optical properties of the synthesized nanocomposite. The nature of the heterojunction was confirmed through X-ray diffraction and the average sizes of ZnO and ZrO<sub>2</sub> crystallites were found to be 70 and 24 nm, respectively. The photocatalytic potential of the ZnO-ZrO<sub>2</sub> heterojunction was examined against rhodamine 6G (Rh-6G), and 97.30 percent of the dye was degraded due to the synergistic effect of the light and the catalyst. The commercial ZnO nanopowder was used as a reference catalyst and 86.32 percent degradation was noted under the same reaction conditions. The in vitro antioxidant activity was also performed to scavenge the 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) free radicals, where the activity of the ZnO-ZrO<sub>2</sub> heterojunction was found to be higher than the ascorbic acid.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/11/12/1502green synthesiszinc oxidezirconium dioxidecharacterizationphotocatalystsantioxidant |
spellingShingle | Sirajul Haq Humma Afsar Manel Ben Ali Mohammed Almalki Bander Albogami Amor Hedfi Green Synthesis and Characterization of a ZnO-ZrO<sub>2</sub> Heterojunction for Environmental and Biological Applications Crystals green synthesis zinc oxide zirconium dioxide characterization photocatalysts antioxidant |
title | Green Synthesis and Characterization of a ZnO-ZrO<sub>2</sub> Heterojunction for Environmental and Biological Applications |
title_full | Green Synthesis and Characterization of a ZnO-ZrO<sub>2</sub> Heterojunction for Environmental and Biological Applications |
title_fullStr | Green Synthesis and Characterization of a ZnO-ZrO<sub>2</sub> Heterojunction for Environmental and Biological Applications |
title_full_unstemmed | Green Synthesis and Characterization of a ZnO-ZrO<sub>2</sub> Heterojunction for Environmental and Biological Applications |
title_short | Green Synthesis and Characterization of a ZnO-ZrO<sub>2</sub> Heterojunction for Environmental and Biological Applications |
title_sort | green synthesis and characterization of a zno zro sub 2 sub heterojunction for environmental and biological applications |
topic | green synthesis zinc oxide zirconium dioxide characterization photocatalysts antioxidant |
url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/11/12/1502 |
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