AG2O Nanoparticle and Its Composite with Coordination Polymers of Cu: Synthesis, Characterisation and Photocatalytic Activity

Abstract

In this study, we report the synthesis, characterisation, and photocatalytic activity evaluation of Ag2O nanoparticles (NPs) and their composite, Ag2O/Cu-CP, with coordination polymers (CPs) of Cu. Ag2O NPs were synthesised using the coprecipitation method. The composite was prepared via the sonication method. FTIR and XRD patterns revealed the formation of the nanoparticles and composite. Photocatalytic activity of the NPs and Composite was performed under solar irradiation for Methylene Blue (MB) as a dye. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency was monitored for concentration decay over time using UV-Vis. Spectrophotometer. The synthesised Ag2O/Cu-Cp composite showed a degradation efficiency of 97.59%, whereas Ag2O NPs showed an efficiency of 82.23%. The composite exhibited 1.18 times higher activity than Ag2O NPs. The band gap plays a crucial role in enhancing activity. The incorporation of Cu-Cp with Ag2O NPs reduced the band gap to an optimum level for radical formation. So, this kind of composite could be widely used in the effluent treatment of industry for a green environment.Keywords: Ag2O nanoparticles, composite, powder-XRD, dye degradation, photocatalytic activity, UV-vis spectroscopy