Aloe barbadensis Mill leaf gel assisted combustion synthesized ZnO:Ni3+: Electrochemical sensor for ascorbic acid detection and photocatalysis

Abstract

• Nickel (Ni 3+ ) doped ZnO were prepared by aloe vera gel assisted solution combustion technique. • Enhancement of Electrochemical properties in Ni 3+ doped ZnO have been investigated. • The photocatalytic degradation of Acid Orange (AO) and Direct Green (DG) dyes were analysed. A promising nanostructure of pure and Nickel (Ni 3+ ) doped ZnO was prepared by aloe vera gel-assisted solution combustion technique. Electrochemical and photocatalytic investigations of the resulting nanostructures were achieved using cyclic voltammetry and UV–Vis spectrophotometry respectively. Enhancement of electrochemical properties in Ni 3+ doped ZnO nanostructures was studied. The results suggest that the doped ZnO exhibits a dramatic electrocatalytic effect on the oxidation of ascorbic acid (AA). It was observed that 1 mol% Ni 3+ doped ZnO electrode can show a redox peak for 1 millimolar (mM) level AA. It has been shown that these modified electrodes can be used as a sensor for different concentrations of AA. The photocatalytic analysis was performed for the degradation of Acid Orange (AO) and Direct Green (DG) dyes. It shows that the AO and DG dyes are potential dyes for the degradation of textile dye pollutants and the elimination of secondary pollutants.