Microplasma-assisted synthesis of CuO nanostructures for catalytic degradation of organic dyes under solar irradiation

Abstract

In this research work, CuO nanostructures were synthesized using atmospheric pressure microplasma (AMP) electrochemical process. The synthesized CuO nanostructures were characterized by various techniques such as X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, and UV-Vis spectrometer. XRD pattern showed that CuO has a monoclinic structure. Morphological analysis revealed that the shapes of nanostructures were sheet like. FTIR spectra confirmed the presence of the Cu–O stretching bond. Optical properties were studied by UV-Vis spectrometer. The bandgap was found to be 2.54 eV. The synthesized nanostructures were also employed for photodegradation of organic dyes such as methyl orange and rhodamine B under solar irradiation. It was observed that the percentage removal for both the dyes increased with increasing contact time and a significant removal was attained after a time of 80 min. The obtained results were confirmed by isotherm and kinetic studies. The dye adsorption data were fitted well to Temkin isotherm, while the adsorption process was well described by pseudo-first-order and intraparticle diffusion kinetics. These results would be extremely helpful for environmental applications regarding the removal of dyes from aqueous solutions as wastewater remediation.