Preparation and characterization of ZnO/CuO nanocomposites thin films for highly efficient visible-light photocatalysis of acriflavine dye

Abstract

Chemical bath deposition (CBD) was used to grow ZnO nanorods on glass substrates. Grown ZnO nanorods are dipped in a copper nitrate trihydrate [Cu(NO3)2.3 H2O] solution at 90 °C for 30 min before being annealed at 400 °C for 1 h to convert Cu2+ ions to CuO nanoparticles, forming a ZnO/CuO thin films nanocomposite. Images obtained from a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) indicated that the ZnO structure consisted of nanorods coated in CuO nanoparticles. The optical absorption of both ZnO NRs and ZnO/CuO nanocomposites thin films was strongly edged, with an energy gap of 3.26 and 3.21 eV, respectively. The photodegradation rate of the manufactured ZnO NRs and ZnO/CuO nanocomposites thin films against Acriflavin dye was investigated at room temperature under varying pH conditions and period exposure to visible light. The rate of photodegradation of the dye was increased by increasing the time it was exposed to light and/or the pH of the solution. The photodegradation rates for AFN dye under visible light irradiation ranged from 36% to 100% as the pH value was increased from 4 to 10, and from 78% to 66% at a pH value of 12 and reduced to 78% at a pH value of 12 after 330 min of irradiation. Furthermore, the trapping experiments of reactive species for Acriflavin dye degradation by ZnO/CuO nanocomposites photocatalysts were also carried out