Copper Nitrate Research Articles

Study of the Effect of Nitrate and Sulfate Solutions on the Properties of Copper Nanopowder Synthesized by Electrochemical Method

The electrochemical method is efficient, cost effective, and environmentally friendly process. Copper nanopowder has been known, as a nontoxic, inexpensive, highly conductive, excellent microbial agent, catalytic, and sensors applicable. Copper nanopowder was prepared by an electrochemical method under various conditions. The effect of type and concentration of electrolyte solution, and the sample treated with thiourea and ascorbic acid on the size and purity of copper nanopowder was investigated. Two different salts copper: sulfate and nitrate aqueous solutions (CuSO4.5H2O), Cu(NO3)2.5H2O were used to produce copper nanopowder. The synthesized copper nanopowder was identified using X-ray diffraction (XRD), the scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Energy Dispersive Spectrum (EDS). The results of XRD patterns revealed a high degree of crystallinity, monophasic nature, and pure copper powder with no impurities or oxides observed for both electrolyte solutions after treated with 2 percent of ascorbic acid. It was confirmed that particle size at room temperature was as small as 25nm when the copper nitrate is used as an electrolyte solution compared to copper sulfate (41nm).

Optimisation of Operational Parameters in Atmospheric Plasma Deposition

Nowadays additive manufacturing and 3D printing techniques are transferring in the mainstream industrial use. To compete for the share of the pie in this sector, atmospheric plasma can be used for deposition of material. In this work it will be presented the atmospheric plasma deposition of copper nanoparticles and the influence of the plasma operational parameters on the shape of the deposited copper line: the with and the density. The nanoparticles were produced by a facile aqueous-based seed-mediated chemical reduction method from copper nitrate hemi(pentahydrate), as described in article by Ankireddy et al. 1 The copper nanoparticles had bimodal size distribution with mean diameters of 3.6 and 64.6 nm. The nanoparticles were then dispersed in deionised water, caped with citric acid and used as a source for atmospheric plasma deposition. The plasma system comprised from nebuliser, nozzle and kHz power supply, as in the work of Gandhiraman et al. 2 During the plasma deposition of the particles the substrate was moving by XY step-motor stage. Parameters, that could be set and influenced the deposition were: gas mixture (different ratios of Ar and He gas flows), gas flow-rate, distance of the substrate from the plasma, plasma power, time between steps of XY stage and the number of passes/repetitions by XY stage. Different permutations of the parameters were used for the plasma deposition to determine the best parameter set for a dense deposition of a narrow line.In figure it can be seen two depositions with different parameters. The difference is obvious.[1] „Seed Mediated Copper Nanoparticle Synthesis for Fabricating Oxidation Free Interdigitated Electrodes using Intense Pulse Light Sintering for Flexible Printed Chemical Sensors“; Krishnamraju Ankireddy, Thad Druffel, Swathi Vunnam, Gregor Filipič, Ruvini Dharmadasa, Delaina A. Amos; Journal of Materials Chemistry C, 5 (2017), 11128 – 11137[2] „Plasma jet based in situ reduction of copper oxide in direct write printing“; Avishek Dey, Arlene Lopez, Gregor Filipič, Aditya Jayan, Dennis Nordlund, Jessica Koehne, Satheesh Krishnamurthy, Ram P. Gandhiraman, M. Meyyappan; Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B, 37 (2019), 031203 Figure 1

Optimization of the optoelectronic properties of copper zinc tin sulfide thin films for solar photovoltaic applications

Copper Zinc Tin Sulfide (CZTS), a successful contender for environmentallybenign thin film photovoltaics was successfully prepared on soda-lime glass substrates through an economically feasible nebulizer assisted spray pyrolysis technique. Further, a solar cell structure withn-CdS/p-CZTSheterojunction was fabricated to study the performance of the nebulizer sprayed CZTS absorber layer using different precursor solutions for copper such as copper acetate, copper chloride, and copper nitrate. Investigations were done to ascertain the influence of different copper precursors on the optoelectronic properties of CZTS thin films by systematically analyzing their characteristics determined by using different analytical techniques. X-ray diffraction studies show a preferential orientation along (112) plane for the deposited kesterite film. The obtained film thickness and crystallite size were found to be 507 nm and 8 nm, respectively, for the film derived from copper nitrate based spray solution. AFM morphological analysis also confirmed a higher particle size for copper nitrate based CZTS film whose band gap was found to be 1.50 eV. The absorption characteristic was also in the favor of nitrate form of the copper precursor which shows a higher absorption value in the visible region than the rest of the samples. Its carrier concentration was found to be 8.06 × 1017 cm−3 which is 4 times higher than the rest of the films and mobility was found to be of the order of 12.3 cm2 V−1 s−1. The open circuit voltage, short circuit current, fill factor, and efficiency of copper nitrate based CZTS solar cell structure was found to be better and is determined to be 0.27 V, 2.51 mA cm−2, 24.3%, and 0.165%.

Formation of Copper Oxide Nanotextures on Porous Calcium Carbonate Templates for Water Treatment.

The necessity of providing clean water sources increases the demand to develop catalytic systems for water treatment. Good pollutants adsorbers are a key ingredient, and CuO is one of the candidate materials for this task. Among the different approaches for CuO synthesis, precipitation out of aqueous solutions is a leading candidate due to the facile synthesis, high yield, sustainability, and the reported shape control by adjustment of the counter anions. We harness this effect to investigate the formation of copper oxide-based 3D structures. Specifically, the counter anion (chloride, nitrate, and acetate) affects the formation of copper-based hydroxides and the final structure following their conversion into copper oxide nanostructures over porous templates. The formation of a 3D structure is obtained when copper chloride or nitrate reacts with a Sorites scaffold (marine-based calcium carbonate template) without external hydroxide addition. The transformation into copper oxides occurs after calcination or reduction of the obtained Cu2(OH)3X (X = Cl− or NO3−) while preserving the porous morphology. Finally, the formed Sorites@CuO structure is examined for water treatment to remove heavy metal cations and degrade organic contaminant molecules.

Synthesis, crystal structure and antimicrobial activity of a new polymeric copper(II) complex derived from N'-(pyridin-2-ylmethylene)isonicotinohydrazide

A new polymeric copper(II) complex [Cu3L3(μ3-NO3)]n·2nNO3, derived from the Schiff base ligand N'-(pyridin-2-ylmethylene)isonicotinohydrazide (HL) with copper nitrate in methanol, was prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, IR and UV-Vis spectra. The structure of the complex was further confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction technique. The Schiff base ligand coordinates to the Cu atoms through the phenolate O, imino O, and two pyridine N atoms. The Cu atom is in a square pyramidal coordination, with the three chelate donor atoms of the Schiff base ligand and the terminal nitrogen donor atom of a symmetry related Schiff base ligand defining the basal plane, and with one oxygen atom of the coordinated nitrate ligand at the apical position. The nitrate ligand bridges three [CuL] units with a crystallographic three fold rotation axis symmetry. The effect of the complex on the antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans was studied.

Complete photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline by carbon doped TiO2 supported with stable metal nitrate hydroxide

Visible light-driven carbon-doped TiO2 supported with metal nitrate hydroxide (CT-Ni/Co/Cu) nanocomposites were prepared and characterized by various studies. It is fascinating to note that particle size of TiO2 was substantially reduced from 5 μm to 50 nm after doping of carbon which was confirmed by FESEM. Moreover, the incorporation of stable metal (Cu) nitrate hydroxide further enhanced the visible light absorption up to 800 nm as evident by UV-DRS. The carbon doping and copper nitrate formation are validated by the Ti–O–C and N–O bonds using XPS and FTIR spectra. The photocatalytic activity of as-prepared photocatalyst was tested for the tetracycline degradation (TC, 10 mg/mL) under light irradiation. Significantly, 3 wt% carbon-doped TiO2 (31CT) with Cu (II) hydroxide nitrate nanocomposite photocatalyst exhibited an excellent photocatalytic activity (97%, within 1 h), and the corresponding reaction rate was around 2 times higher than bare TiO2. The excellent photocatalytic activity of 31CT-Cu nanocomposite was due to enhanced adsorbent of TC via carbon doping, visible light absorption, improved photo-generated carrier separation and migration by metal nitrate hydroxide as a support. This work may promote the development of a new carbon-doped TiO2 supported with highly stable metal nitrate hydroxide nanocomposite by facile method and used as an efficient photocatalyst for photodegradation of environmental pollutants.

Synthesis, crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of copper(I) nitrate -complex based on 1-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-5-allylsulfanyl-1H-tetrazole

By means of the alternating current electrochemical technique and starting from copper wire electrodes in propanol solution of corresponding ligand and copper(II) nitrate, novel copper(I) -complex [Cu2(C12H14SN4)2(NO3)2] (1) has been obtained and X-ray structurally investigated: sp. gr. , a=7.352(3) Å, b=8.269(3) Å, c=12.723(4) Å, =82.08(3)0, =82.74(3)0, =88.37(3)0, V=759.9(5) Å3, Z=2, dcalc=1.625 g cm–3, (CuK)=3.502 mm–1, max=67.960, 4119 measured reflections, 1248 used reflections, 201 refined parameters, R(F2)=0.0915, S=0.95. The trigonal-pyramidal copper(I) coordination environment consists of nitrogen atom and allylic group of ligand, and of two oxygen atoms from crystallographically distinct nitrate anions. Due to a bridging function of oxygen atoms of nitrate anions, two metal-containing polyhedra are connected into {Cu2L2(NO3)2} topological units which are additionally stabilized by noncovalent interaction CuO(2). Comparatively weak hydrogen bonds C–HO exist in the crystal structure of [Cu2(C12H14SN4)2(NO3)2] (1).

Sequential recovery of metals from waste printed circuit boards using a zero-discharge hydrometallurgical process

Several hydrometallurgical routes have been proposed in the literature to treat printed circuit boards (PCBs) from waste electronic equipment. These employ different chemical reagents for the recovery and separation of metals as metals or their salts. The recovery of multiple chemical reagents (unreacted acid, neutralising agent, metal salts) in a process requires several additional downstream steps affecting economic feasibility. There is a need to develop a safe, eco-friendly, and economically feasible process to recover metals from PCBs. In this work, we achieve this using a hydrometallurgical process for treating PCB with nitric acid by extracting metals sequentially. The focus is on tin, lead, and copper, which are present in significant quantities in PCBs. The process is scalable and is based on exploiting the physio-chemical interactions between the different metals and the acid. Tin and lead present in the solder are selectively dissolved at low acid concentrations. Tin comes out in the form of colloidal particles of metastannic acid. The low solubility of lead nitrate in concentrated nitric acid is exploited by evaporating the solution containing unreacted nitric acid and lead nitrate. In the concentrated acid, lead nitrate crystals are precipitated out, and the concentrated nitric acid is recycled for dissolution. The different nitrogen oxide gases generated are absorbed in water and recycled. Copper present in copper tracks was recovered by reacting with a higher concentration of acid in a downstream step. The copper nitrate obtained was separated from nitric acid by extracting nitric acid using Tri-Butyl Phosphate. Tin, lead, and copper are sequentially extracted as tin oxide (s), lead nitrate (s), and copper nitrate (aq.) with an efficiency of 77%–97%, 51%–85%, and 100%, respectively.

The Copper Chemical Garden as a Low Cost and Efficient Material for Breaking Down Air Pollution by Gaseous Ammonia

AbstractChemical garden (CG) from copper(II) sulfate, nitrate and chloride (CG CuSO4, CG Cu(NO3)2, CG CuCl2) were grown, and characterized from the structural and compositional point of view by using scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray powder diffraction, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis coupled with mass spectrometry, and DR (diffuse reflectance) UV‐Vis‐NIR spectroscopy. The main crystalline phases, controlled by the anion of the starting salt, were brochantite and kobyashevite for CG CuSO4, gerhardtite, rouaite and anthonyite for CG Cu(NO3)2, and atacamite for CG CuCl2. The materials were then exposed to ammonia vapors to test the effectiveness of their entrapping property. All materials proved to be very efficient and rapid in the uptake of ammonia, which invariably results in the formation of a Cu(II)/NH3 complex. However, after a few tens of minutes, CG Cu(NO3)2 and CG CuCl2 release water and get wet, thereby resulting unsuitable for applications. Only CG CuSO4 remains dry for at least 25 hours. This makes it a valid candidate for building devices for trapping ammonia, and possibly other gases capable of interacting with Cu(II). The entrapment of ammonia by this material was also characterized by 1H and 29Si MAS‐NMR XAS spectroscopies.

Performance of supported metal catalysts in the dimethyl carbonate production by direct synthesis using CO2 and methanol

CO2 chemical transformation is an exciting way to reduce CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. The use of CO2 to produce dimethyl carbonate (DMC), a linear, biodegradable, low toxicity carbonate via direct synthesis, is one of the most promising routes from the environmental point of view. However, DMC direct synthesis presents obstacles such as unfavorable thermodynamics and catalytic deactivation due to the water produced as a by-product. Therefore, the development and optimization of a catalytic system that can overcome these obstacles are crucial. This study investigated the catalytic activity of iron nitrate (AC-Fe), copper nitrate (AC-Cu), magnesium nitrate (AC-Mg), and nickel nitrate (AC-Ni) impregnated in activated carbon for DMC direct synthesis. Catalysts were synthesized by the impregnation method and characterized by several techniques. Simulation results evidenced the major reaction steps and simplified models of a complex involving metallic catalysts and reactants. The optimization of the catalyst amount, pressure, temperature, and recyclability of the best catalyst under optimized conditions and in the presence of different dehydrating agents was also performed. Results showed that the AC-Fe catalyst is the most efficient in the DMC direct synthesis, with a yield of 23.5 % and a selectivity of 100 % (80 °C, 40 bar, and 24 h). Reaction optimization (120 °C, 40 bar, and 24 h) using (AC-Fe) as catalyst resulted in a DMC yield of approximately 30 %. The catalytic systems recycling proved that using the dehydrating agent right combination (molecular sieve) and catalyst (AC-Fe) can maintain selectivity at 100 %, slightly decreasing yield.

Effect of Ca2+ Replacement with Cu2+ Ions in Brushite on the Phase Composition and Crystal Structure

The gradual replacement of Ca2+ with Cu2+ ions in brushite (CaHPO4·2H2O) has been extensively studied and discussed. The approach adopted in this work has not been systematically explored in previous studies. This novel approach may prove beneficial for the production of Ca1−xCuxHPO4·nH2O materials with desired properties suitable for medical applications. Solutions of sodium dihydrogen orthophosphate dihydrate, NaH2PO4·2H2O, calcium nitrate tetrahydrate, Ca(NO3)2·4H2O, copper nitrate trihydrate, Cu(NO3)2·3H2O, ammonium hydroxide solution, and diluted HCl were used for the preparation of these materials. At low Cu/Ca molar ratios (up to 0.25) in the starting solution, biphasic phosphate minerals were formed: brushite and sampleite. When the Cu/Ca molar ratio increases gradually from 0.67 to 1.5, sampleite-like mineral precipitates. Powdered XRD (X-ray diffraction), thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, and SEM (scanning electron microscopy) techniques were employed for the study of the microstructure of the produced materials for different degrees of Ca replacement with Mg. It is found that the Cu/Ca ratio in the starting solution can be adjusted to obtain materials with tailored composition. Thus, a new method of sampleite-like synthesis as a rare mineral is introduced in this study. Both phosphate minerals brushite and sampleite-like minerals are attractive as precursors of bioceramics and biocements. The search for such products that may decrease the possibility of post prosthetic or implant infection can be crucial in preventing devastating post-surgical complications.

The inhibition ability of copper nanoparticles synthesized by green tea extract on healing the induced contaminated wounds in laboratory hamsters

The research was carried out in order to synthesize CuNPs which use extract of green tea, then characterize them and investigate its antibacterial only or in combination with Ciprofloxacin for the treatment of S. aureus. Then, use a blood test to verify its efficacy in healing wounds infected with S. aureus in laboratory Hamsters.The results showed that green tea was successful in converting copper nitrate to CuNPs, as evidenced by the ultraviolet spectrum, which showed an absorbance at 271 nm. CuNPs with a size range of 5–65 nm and an average size of 5–20 nm were found to have a spherical form. CuNPs had a 20% antibacterial and a synergistic effect when mixed with Ciprofloxacin against S. aureus. It appeared that the CuNPs or ciprofloxacin, alone or in combination, had synergistic effects in healing the infected wounds in a shorter length of time than the control group of treatment in the biological study. The use of S. aureus to heal induced wounds resulted in significantly higher WBCs and lower platelet counts, whereas the treatment with CuNPs or Ciprofloxacin, alone or in combination, resulted in WBCs and platelet counts that were referred within normal ranges and did not differ from the control group. Furthermore, appeared non differences in Hb, RBCs, or PCV, urea, creatinine as well as the levels of IgG, IgA antibody and the liver enzyme of GOT and GPT across all treatment groups compared with the values in infection animal groups.

Optimum Selection of H2S Scavenger in Light-Weight and Heavy-Weight Water-Based Drilling Fluids.

During hydrocarbon drilling operations, the presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas could cause serious health and safety issues. Scavenging this gas and eliminating its impact are essential requirements for a safe drilling operation. This study investigated the impact of three H2S scavenger additives (copper nitrate, iron gluconate, and potassium permanganate) on water-based drilling fluids (WBDFs). The additives were tested on two actual field drilling mud samples that differ mainly in their weight. The scavengers’ impact on drilling muds was investigated by measuring their scavenging capacity and their effect on rheology, fluid loss, and pH. Potassium permanganate outperformed the other scavengers when added to the lighter (lower density) WBDF. However, it did not impact the scavenging capacity of the heavier mud system. Copper nitrate outperformed the other scavengers in the heavier drilling mud system. Also, the addition of copper nitrate in the lighter mud system increased its H2S-scavenging capacity greatly, while for iron gluconate, it did not perform very well. Overall, all the scavenger-containing drilling muds did not have any significant harmful impact on the plastic viscosity or the fluid loss properties of the drilling muds. Furthermore, all the tested drilling mud samples showed an excellent ability to clean wellbores and suspend drill cuttings evident by the high carrying capacity with the exception of iron gluconate or potassium permanganate with the heavy mud system.

Copper/Nickel-Decorated Olive Pit Biochar: One Pot Solid State Synthesis for Environmental Remediation

Developing micro- and nanomaterials for environmental pollution remediation is currently a pertinent topic. Among the plethora of strategies, designing supported nanocatalysts for the degradation of pollutants has achieved prominence. In this context, we are addressing one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals by valorizing agrowaste as a source of biochar, which serves as a support for bimetallic nanocatalysts. Herein, olive pit powder particles were impregnated with copper and nickel nitrates and pyrolyzed at 400 °C. The resulting material consists of bimetallic CuNi-decorated biochar. CuNi nanocatalysts were found to be as small as 10 nm and very well dispersed over biochar with zero valent copper and nickel and the formation of copper–nickel solid solutions. The biochar@CuNi (B@CuNi) exhibited typical soft ferromagnet hysteresis loops with zero remanence and zero coercivity. The biochar@CuNi was found to be an efficient catalyst of the reduction in methyl orange (MO) dye, taken as a model pollutant. In sum, the one-pot method devised in this work provides unique CuNi-decorated biochar and broadens the horizons of the emerging topic of biochar-supported nanocatalysts.

Development of a Nanocluster-Based Platform for Determination of Sofosbuvir

Background: Sofosbuvir is a potent direct-acting antivirus agent that has been listed as a promising medicine for the treatment of all genotypes of hepatitis C virus. As antiviral drugs could be metabolized to their associated compounds and toxicologically and pharmacologically interfere with the parent drugs, identifying the therapeutic range of drugs would be notable. Methods: In the current study, copper nanoclusters (Cu NCs) are synthesized during the reduction of copper nitrate with hydrazine hydrate in a protected media and used as a nanoprobe for the determination of sofosbuvir in plasma samples. Herein, synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (SFS) is used for monitoring of fluorescence variation of nanoprobe owing to the excessive benefits compared with the traditional fluorescence. Results: SFS peak of Cu NCs has appeared at 355 nm with ∆λ=80 nm which is decreased in the presence of sofosbuvir. To optimize the reaction factors, a response surface methodology is used and in the optimized conditions, a linear concentration-response plot is obtained in a range of 0.05-6.0 µg mL−1 with a limit of detection of 0.0147 µg mL−1. Conclusion: The developed method also reveals good repeatability and selectivity for sofosbuvir in plasma samples.

Ecofriendly green synthesis, characterization and biomedical applications of CuO nanoparticles synthesized using leaf extract of Capsicum frutescens

The green technology is creating an interest among researchers as they are simple, ecofriendly, and also cost-effective especially in synthesizing nanoparticles. In the present study, CuO nanoparticles were synthesized by taking copper nitrate as precursor and using the leaf extract of Capsicum frutescens as capping and stabilizing agent. The visual observation of dark green color indicated the formation of CuO nanoparticles. The gas chromatograph illustrated the phytochemicals in leaf extract. The synthesized CuO nanoparticles were characterized by various analytical techniques such as UV–visible, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infra-red, dynamic light scattering, zeta potential and energy dispersive X-ray analyses. Field emission scanning electron micrographs and transmission electron micrographs illustrated the spherical and rectangular-rod shaped nanoparticles with its diameter (width) ranging from 20 to 40 nm. The antibacterial and biofilm activities against Gram-positive (Bacillus anthracis, and Listeria monocytogenes) and Gram-negative (Klebsiella pneumoniae) bacterial human pathogens showed strong inhibition at 95%, 94% and 92% in 150 μg/mL concentration, respectively. The antioxidant activity revealed high (97%) free radical scavenging property at 80 μg/mL concentration. The anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic activities showed 90% and 85% efficacy at 500 μg/mL concentration, respectively. These results assured the synthesized CuO nanoparticles by using Capsicum frutescens leaf extract may have applications in the biomedical field.

The highly specific detection and mechanism of Cu-MOF-74 fluorescent probe to amino trimethylene phosphonic acid: Experimental study and theoretical calculation of quantum chemistry

Due to the lack of rapid and efficient detection methods for the determination of trace organic phosphonate concentrations in the natural aqueous system, little is known about their impact on the ecosystem. Amino trimethylene phosphonic acid (ATMP) is an organic phosphonate that has been widely used in many fields. In the present work, the copper-based organic framework material (Cu-MOF-74) for the specific detection of amino trimethylene phosphonic acid (ATMP) in aqueous solution was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis using 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalic acid (DHTP) as raw material and copper nitrate trihydrate as metal source. The synthesized material can be used as a “turn-on” fluorescent sensor for the specific sensing of ATMP, the fluorescence intensity of Cu-MOF-74 can be enhanced 24.2 times by ATMP (90 μΜ), the emission wavelength of the fluorescence emission spectrum of the system was blue-shifted, and the detection limit (LOD) of ATMP was 0.844 μΜ. Moreover, the mechanism of ATMP greatly increasing the fluorescence intensity of Cu-MOF-74 was investigated by experimental and theoretical calculations of quantum chemistry. The experimental results showed that ATMP was involved in the coordination of open metal sites in Cu-MOF-74. Multiwfn wavefunction analysis results demonstrated that the charge transfer from the benzene ring and hydroxyl groups of the ligand to the metal (LMCT) occurred during the electron excitation of Cu-MOF-74, but after adding ATMP, the coordination of ATMP with copper led to the interruption and reduction of the energy transfer and electron transfer from ligand DHTP to Cu2+, and the fluorescence intensity of Cu-MOF-74 was improved. The Cu-MOF-74 fluorescent probe exhibited excellent anti-interference ability, high selectivity, good fluorescence intensity stability in the short term, so it can be used as a reliable fluorescent probe for the highly specific detection of low concentration ATMP, the revealed microscopic mechanism of Cu-MOF-74 fluorescent probe to ATMP from the atomic level can provide a theoretical basis for the research of new fluorescence detectors.

Green synthesis of Cu-doped ZnO nanoparticles and its application for the photocatalytic degradation of hazardous organic pollutants

In recent times, the synthesis of metal nanoparticles (NPs) using plant extracts has recently emerged as an intriguing issue in the field of nanoscience and nanobiotechnology, with numerous advantages over conventional physicochemical approaches. In the current study, ZnO NPs were synthesized from Synadium grantii leaf extricate with varying Cu-dopant concentrations. In order to the synthesis of the pure and Cu-doped ZnO NPs, zinc nitrate hexahydrate and copper nitrate trihydrate were used as a precursor in leaf extracts of the plant. XRD, TEM, FTIR, XPS, and PL measurements were carried out to examine the physical and optical properties of the synthesized samples. The photocatalytic studies of the prepared samples were studied using Methylene blue (MB), Indigo Carmine (IC), and Rhodamine B (RhB) organic pollutants. The wurtzite crystal structure of synthesized samples was confirmed by XRD and TEM analysis. Further, the presence of functional groups in the prepared samples was confirmed by FTIR analysis. XPS analysis confirmed that the binding energies of a host material and dopant ions. The emission peaks identified at 424, 446 and 573 nm are associated with the electron movement from the deep donor level, zinc interstitial to the zinc vacancy and oxygen vacancy. 3% and 5% Cu-doped samples exhibited superior photocatalytic activity for MB, IC, and RhB dyes. The green synthesized ZnO NPs showed enriched photocatalytic performance, signifying that bio-synthesis can be an outstanding approach to develop versatile and environmental products.

Facile Synthesis of Spherical Flake-shaped CuO Nanostructure and Its Characterization towards Solar Cell Application

The aim of this work is to synthesis CuO nanoparticles and investigates their eminent properties to identify their diverse application capability in the field of solar cells. In this work, CuO nanoparticles were synthesized by precipitation method using Copper (II) nitrate and Copper (II) chloride. Surface effects due to defects, structural properties related through lattice parameter, and crystallite sizes of nanoparticles have been identified from XRD. The crystal plane and reflection peak position was calculated using Bragg’s law. It showed that CuO nanoparticles have a monoclinic structure, and that the average crystallite size of CuO nanoparticles was 28.82 nm. n-type semiconductor behavior had a direct band of Eg = 1.465(2) eV, analyzed from optical studies by DRS. The band gap of the sample was determined from the reflectance spectra using Kubelka-Munk (K-M) function. Elements present were found through absorption peak of FTIR. The blue shifts observed in FTIR spectra in CuO nanoparticles were compared with that of bulk CuO, and absorption band agreed with XRD results. Morphological studies revealed the formation of spherical flake-shaped formation of CuO. It had a higher surface area and was well-suited to solar cell applications. HIGHLIGHTS The CuO nanoparticles were synthesized by precipitation method The average crystallite size of CuO nanoparticles obtained in the range of 28.82 nm Spherical flake-shaped nanostruture with higher surface area formed in this method Optical property of CuO (Eg = 1.465 eV) and good electron mobility make it a suitable solar cell absorber material GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

M(II)Al4 Type Layered Double Hydroxides-Preparation Using Mechanochemical Route, Structural Characterization and Catalytic Application.

The synthesis of the copper-poor and aluminum-rich layered double hydroxides (LDHs) of the CuAl4 type was optimized in detail in this work, by applying an intense mechanochemical treatment to activate the gibbsite starting reagent. The phase-pure forms of these LDHs were prepared for the first time; using copper nitrate and perchlorate salts during the syntheses turned out to be the key to avoiding the formation of copper hydroxide sideproducts. Based on the use of the optimized syntheses parameters, the preparation of layered triple and multiple hydroxides was also attempted using Ni(II), Co(II), Zn(II) and even Mg(II) ions. These studies let us identify the relative positions of the incorporating cations in the well-known selectivity series as Ni2+ >> Cu2+ >> Zn2+ > Co2+ >> Mg2+. The solids formed were characterized by using powder X-ray diffractometry, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The catalytic potential of the samples was investigated in carbon monoxide oxidation reactions at atmospheric pressure, supported by an in situ diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy probe. All solids proved to be active and the combination of the nickel and cobalt incorporation (which resulted in a NiCoAl8 layered triple hydroxide) brought outstanding benefits regarding low-temperature oxidation and increased carbon monoxide conversion values.