Photocatalytic Degradation Of Rhodamine Research Articles

Preparation of g-C3N4/MoS2 Composite Material and Its Visible Light Catalytic Performance

The g-C3N4 nanosheet was prepared by calcination method, the MoS2 nanosheet was prepared by hydrothermal method. The g-C3N4/MoS2 composites were prepared by ultrasonic composite in anhydrous ethanol. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, and photoluminescence techniques were used to characterize the materials. The photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (Rh B) by g-C3N4/MoS2 composites with different mass ratios was investigated under visible light. The results show that a small amount of MoS2 combined with g-C3N4 can significantly improve photocatalytic activity. The g-C3N4/MoS2 composite with a mass ratio of 1:8 has the highest photocatalytic activity, and the degradation rate of Rh B increases from 50 to 99.6%. The main reason is that MoS2 and g-C3N4 have a matching band structure. The separation rate of photogenerated electron–hole pairs is enhanced. So the g-C3N4/MoS2 composite can improve the photocatalytic activity. Through the active material capture experiment, it is found that the main active material in the photocatalytic reaction process is holes, followed by superoxide radicals.

Photocatalytic Degradation of Rhodamine B by TiO2 Pillared Illite/Smectite (Ti/(I/S)) under Visible‐Light Irradiation

AbstractDifferent Ti/(I/S) composites are synthesized by sol‐gel method. The microstructure, interfacial and optical properties of the obtained different Ti/(I/S) composites are characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), surface area measurement (BET), and UV–vis diffused reflectance spectroscopy (UV‐Vis DRS). The results show that 5‐Ti/(I/S) composite has an obvious photocatalytic activity to rhodamine B (RhB) and the degradation rate can reach 81%, ·O2− is the key oxidative species. Moreover, 5‐Ti/(I/S) composite has good stability and repeatability.

Tetragonal/orthorhombic-bismuth tungstate homojunction formed through in situ bismuth induced phase transformation as highly efficient photocatalyst for pollutant degradation

Tetragonal/orthorhombic-bismuth tungstate (t/o-Bi2WO6) homojunctions of high photocatalytic efficiencies were fabricated through a novel in situ Bi induced phase transformation. The photocatalytic efficiencies of t-Bi2WO6 were greatly enhanced via formation of the homojunction. Photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB), a recalcitrant organic pollutant, under simulated sunlight illumination was investigated as a demonstration for the efficiency enhancement. A 6.22 folds improvement was achieved with formation of the homojunction in terms of reaction rate constants. The homojunction catalyst was demonstrated to be photocatalytically stable over a five cycles operation. The t/o-Bi2WO6 homojunction enhances separation and utilization efficiency of photo-generated charge carriers and thus greatly boosts the catalytic efficiency. Trapping tests and electron spin resonance spectroscopy were conducted to reveal that singlet oxygen (1O2), hole (h+), electrons (e−), and superoxide anion radical (O2−) are the main working reactive species for RhB degradation. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to prove the feasibility of Bi induced phase transformation of t-Bi2WO6 to o-Bi2WO6. The present development offers a new design route for high efficiency photocatalysts for water pollution control.

Photocatalytic Degradation of Rhodamine B and Methylene Orange Using TiO2-ZrO2 as Nanocomposite

The present research reports the synthesis of ZrO2-doped TiO2 photocatalysts at different ZrO2 contents (1, 3 and 5% wt.) synthesized by the sol–gel method. The samples were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared, ultraviolet–visible, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and N2 adsorption–desorption analysis. The photocatalytic activity of the ZrO2-doped TiO2 was investigated against the dyes methyl orange and rhodamine B through mineralization studies. The ZrO2-doped TiO2 samples presented a semiglobular-ovoid agglomerate shape around 500–800 nm. The samples presented high crystallinity of the TiO2 anatase phase, XPS suggested the formation of Zr–O–Ti bonds and the samples were classified as mesoporous materials with slight changes in the optical features in comparison with pure TiO2. Our study shows that the ZrO2-doped TiO2 composites exhibited a higher photocatalytic activity than just utilizing the synthetized TiO2 and a commercial P25. The different degradation behaviors are attributed to differences in the textural properties, and to the different optical absorptions of the samples due to structural defects created by the level of doping of Zr4+ ions into the TiO2 lattice. Reaction kinetics parameters were calculated by the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model, and a third run cycle of the ZrO2-doped TiO2 at 1% wt. achieved a photocatalytic degradation of 78.1 and 75.5% for RhB and MO, respectively.

Sunlight-driven photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B by BiOCl and TiO2 deposited on NiCr-LDH

ABSTRACT NiCr-LDH/BiOCl and NiCr-LDH/TiO2 nanocomposites were successfully synthesised by co-precipitation and hydrothermal methods. Their structure, morphology and optical properties were analysed by XRD, SEM, UV−vis, XPS and FTIR techniques. The Rhodamine B (RhB) dye was used as a model pollutant to evaluate the catalytic activity for the nanocomposites under sunlight irradiation for 60 min. The results showed a significant enhancement in the photocatalytic activity of NiCr-LDH/BiOCl (up to 96.57%), higher than that of NiCr-LDH/TiO2 (89.58%), and pure phase NiCr-LDH (26.09%). The nanocomposites exhibited a high catalytic performance than TiO2 and BiOCl pure phases. This funding was not related to the Bi or Ti content but to the dispersion of the pure phase on the surface of the NiCr-LDH. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the NiCr-LDH/BiOCl naocomposite mainly attributed to the formation of heterojunction between LDH and BiOCl for efficient separation of photoinduced electrons and holes. Hydroxyl radicals and holes were the main active species. Both NiCr-LDH/BiOCl and NiCr-LDH/TiO2 photocatalysts exhibited high stability and reusability even after four cycles. Based on the experimental results, a possible photocatalytic mechanism on both nanocomposites was proposed.

Carbon nitride materials: impact of synthetic method on photocatalysis and immobilization for photocatalytic pollutant degradation

Different synthesis routes for carbon nitride materials (CN) and the resulting products were compared to study the photocatalytic activity (pollutant degradation) in dependence on structure and properties. The CN materials were synthesized by thermal decomposition of dicyandiamide in air and under argon as well as in sealed ampoules with or without the use of a salt melt. The as-prepared materials were characterized by IR spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption measurement, solid-state NMR spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance UV–Vis spectroscopy, elemental analysis and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). The surface polarity of the CN materials was estimated by adsorption of the dicyano-bis(1,10-phenanthroline)-iron(II) complex, which allows an evaluation of the degree of condensation. The CN materials were tested with regard to the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB). It is shown that the photocatalytic activity increases with higher surface polarity. Promising CN materials with high RhB degradation of 85% within 25 min and high surface polarity of 0.89 were selected for an immobilization approach to obtain coatings on a silicone substrate using a high-volume low-pressure (HVLP) spray coating technique. To study the photocatalytic activity of the catalyst coatings, the degradation rates of an aqueous RhB solution and solutions of organic pollutants such as triclosan and ethinyl estradiol were examined. Pollutants are decomposed with up to 63% of the initial concentration. Xenon lamps and different LEDs were used as light sources for comparison. Particularly high degradation efficiencies were obtained using LEDs, and the degradation rates are increased by adjusting the emission spectrum of the lamp to the pollutant and absorption edge of the catalyst, which results in a 40 times higher degradation efficiencies of LEDs compared to a Xe lamp.Graphical abstract

F- regulate the preparation of polyhedral BiVO4 enclosed by High-Index facet and enhance its photocatalytic activity

The selective exposure of high-index facets at the surface of nanocrystals is an important and challenging research topic. Herein, polyhedral bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) crystals predominantly surrounded by {2 1 3} and {1 2 1} high-index facets were fabricated through the engineering of high-index surfaces by fluorinion (F-) mediated hydrothermal process. The as-prepared BiVO4-0.2F (the feeding amount of NaF was 0.2 g) catalyst exhibited high apparent quantum efficiency of 17.7% under 420 nm light irradiation and 9.3 fold enhancement of O2 evolution relative to its low-index counterparts. Moreover, the growth of high-index facets results in significant enhancement of hydroxyl radical (•OH) production, photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) and photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties by the BiVO4 polyhedron, relative to its low-index counterparts. The enhanced photoreactivity is the result of the synergistic effect of F- on the surface of the BiVO4 crystals and exposed high-index facets. For one thing, F- on the surface of the BiVO4 facilitate the separation and transport of photo-induced charge carriers. For another, the exposed high-index facets on polyhedral BiVO4 provided much more reactive sites for photocatalytic reactions. Hopefully, this F- mediated method will be a useful guideline for designing and synthesizing novel high-index faceted micro-/nanostructures for overcoming the practical energy and environment problems.

Fullerene-cored star-shaped polyporphyrin-incorporated TiO2 as photocatalysts for the enhanced degradation of rhodamine B

Highly photoactive fullerene-cored star-shaped polyporphyrin incorporated TiO2, ZnCPP-Fullerol@TiO2, was prepared from the immobilization of fullerene-cored star-shaped polyporphyrin nanospheres, produced by the esterification of carboxyl porphyrin with fullerols, on the surface of TiO2 via the excess hydroxyl groups of fullerols, and used for rhodamine B degradation under light irradiation. The synthesized catalyst was fully characterized by various techniques, including ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), cyclic voltammetry and thermogravimetric analysis etc. The results demonstrated that the insertion of fullerols in ZnCPP-Fullerol@TiO2 produced an enhancement in photocurrent efficiency and the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B. The degradation rate of rhodamine B was 94.7% after treatment with light irradiation for 150 min, and the reaction rate constant was k = 0.0193 s−1 for ZnCPP-Fullerol@TiO2. This constant was much higher than that of ZnCPP@TiO2(0.00723 s−1) due to the improvement in the separation of electron-hole pairs and the availability of good sites for adsorption and catalysis. Moreover ZnCPP-Fullerol@TiO2 exhibits excellent reusability, and a reasonable mechanism for the enhanced reactivity was proposed.

Photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B by Bi2O3@LDHs S–scheme heterojunction: Performance, kinetics and mechanism

In this paper, based on Bi2O3 and CoAl–layered double hydroxides (LDHs), a core–shell structure S–scheme heterojunction catalyst (Bi2O3@LDHs) was synthesized and used for photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB), a typical dye. The effects of the amount of catalyst (A), light intensity (B), pH value (C) and reaction temperature (T) on the degradation performance were discussed. The apparent kinetic equation of RhB photodegradation catalyzed by LDHs and Bi2O3@LDHs are: ln(C/C0)=-5.661×105e-30.01×103RT×[A]00.9348×[B]o1.0348×[C]00.9965×t and ln(C/C0)=-8.398×103e-16.39×103RT×[A]01.2547×[B]o1.5279×[C]01.0197×t. Under the best reaction conditions of the amount of catalyst is 40 mg, the light intensity is 400 W, the reaction pH value is 9, and the reaction temperature is 303 K, the highest removal is 90.36%, and the activity is 37.65 mg g−1h−1. In addition, by means of radical characterization and DFT calculation, the formation mechanism of built–in electric field and the promotion of S–scheme electron transport path in heterojunction were systematically analyzed, and the degradation intermediates and degradation paths were also discussed.

Lead-free Rudorffite-type Cs3Bi2Br9 nanoparticles for photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B and methylene blue

Herein we report the use of Rudorffite-type Cs3Bi2Br9 nanoparticles as a photocatalyst in the degradation of rhodamine B and methylene blue dyes. The synthesis of Cs3Bi2Br9 nanoparticles through the hot-injection method was optimized to a time of 1 min at the temperature of 210 °C. The lead-free nanoparticles were indexed to Cs3Bi2Br9 in a single hexagonal phase with no impurities. The structure of the synthesized nanoparticles was also confirmed with Raman and XPS spectroscopies. The average size and optical bang gap energy of Cs3Bi2Br9 Rudorffite nanoparticles were 17 nm and 2.83 eV, respectively. The cyclic voltammetry technique estimated the electrochemical band-gap of Cs3Bi2Br9 to be 3.01 eV, which is slightly higher than the optical band-gap. The photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B and methylene blue dyes using Cs3Bi2Br9 nanoparticles at an optimum photocatalyst load of 0.12 g showed the highest photocatalytic degradation of the dyes. The kinetics showed that the rhodamine B dye was degraded faster than the methylene blue. In 100 min degradation time, complete deethylation and demethylation of RhB and MB occurred, respectively.

Insights into the effect of halide enriched ZnO synthesized using tetrabutylammonium halides toward photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine 6G

AbstractZnO and halide (Cl, Br, and I) enriched ZnO samples have been synthesized by polyol method. Halide enriched zinc oxide (ZnO‐X) were obtained when synthesis was carried out in the presence of tetrabutylammonium halide (X‐Cl, Br, and I) salts. X‐ray results reveal that the halide ions seem to occupy the oxygen vacancy sites as well as interstitial sites of the ZnO lattice increasing the cell volume and strain along the c‐axis. Microspheres are observed in the scanning electron micrographs with the size ranging between 170 and 385 nm. Photocatalytic activity of the synthesized samples was tested under UV light irradiation for the decomposition of Rhodamine‐6G dye. The halide enriched ZnO samples show higher rate of dye degradation compared to pristine ZnO attributable to their higher bandgap leading to a decrease in the recombination reactions of the electron–hole pair and higher light absorbing ability. ZnO‐Br is seen to exhibit the highest rate of degradation due to higher bandgap, light absorbing ability and predominance of (101) facet in the lattice. Further, ZnO‐Br appears to undergo negligible change after 3 cycles of catalysis proving its reusability.

Photocatalytic Activity of Ag@AgBr/Ag2CO3 Heterojunction Synthesized by in situ Reduction

The poor stability of the silver-based semiconductor photocatalyst is an insurmountable problem. Coupling different proportions of AgBr and Ag2CO3 together by in situ reduction method produced a series of novel AgBr/Ag2CO3 composite photocatalysts, and was accompanied by the generation of Ag@AgBr/Ag2CO3 heterojunction. The effects of different ratios of AgBr and Ag2CO3 on the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B under visible light irradiation were studied by XRD, UV–Vis DRS, SEM, HRTEM, TEM and XPS characterization techniques. The best ratio and UV irradiation time were explored. In addition, the photocatalytic mechanism of the photocatalyst was described. The Ag NPs formed on the surface of AgBr/Ag2CO3 may be one of the reasons for effectively improving the separation efficiency of electron–hole pairs (e[Formula: see text]h[Formula: see text], accelerating dye degradation and improving photocatalytic stability.

Self-Assembled Nanomaterials Based on Complementary Sn(IV) and Zn(II)-Porphyrins, and Their Photocatalytic Degradation for Rhodamine B Dye.

A series of porphyrin triads (1–6), based on the reaction of trans-dihydroxo-[5,15-bis(3-pyridyl)-10,20-bis(phenyl)porphyrinato]tin(IV) (SnP) with six different phenoxy Zn(II)-porphyrins (ZnLn), was synthesized. The cooperative metal–ligand coordination of 3-pyridyl nitrogens in the SnP with the phenoxy Zn(II)-porphyrins, followed by the self-assembly process, leads to the formation of nanostructures. The red-shifts and remarkable broadening of the absorption bands in the UV–vis spectra for the triads in CHCl3 indicate that nanoaggregates may be produced in the self-assembly process of these triads. The emission intensities of the triads were also significantly reduced due to the aggregation. Microscopic analyses of the nanostructures of the triads reveal differences due to the different substituents on the axial Zn(II)-porphyrin moieties. All these nanomaterials exhibited efficient photocatalytic performances in the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) dye under visible light irradiation, and the degradation efficiencies of RhB in aqueous solution were observed to be 72~95% within 4 h. In addition, the efficiency of the catalyst was not impaired, showing excellent recyclability even after being applied for the degradation of RhB in up to five cycles.

Nitrogenated CQD decorated ZnO nanorods towards rapid photodegradation of rhodamine B: A combined experimental and theoretical approach

In this work, hybridization of nonmetal nitrogen-doped carbon dots (NCQDs) with ZnO nanorods (NRs) is utilized towards better photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The structural characterization is confirmed by XRD, XPS, FTIR and HRTEM measurements, while, optical properties have been investigated using UV–visible absorbance spectroscopy and photoluminescence study. The dye degradation using ZnO NR is recorded as ~69%, while the performance of ZnO/NCQD climbs up to ~90%, after nine minutes of UV irradiation. Furthermore, the reusability test suggests better stability of ZnO/NCQD than bare ZnO under photocorrosion. The cyclic voltammetry study confirms that the photoinduced electron-hole pairs originate from the heterojunction established between the interfaces of NCQD and ZnO. An insight on the photocatalytic excellence of ZnO/NCQD system is drawn from the density functional theory study. This indicates that appropriate band alignment of the heterostructure constituents is the key factor in this experimental attempt towards environment remedy.

Enhanced photocatalytic activity of ultrathin InOOH nanowires

Uniform ultrathin InOOH nanowires are selected to demonstrate the unique properties and special characters of one-dimensional semiconductor nanomaterials. Their photocatalytic properties are evaluated with the results indicating that InOOH nanowires exhibit higher activity than P25-TiO2 in the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under ultraviolet light irradiation. Furthermore, the photocatalysis kinetics are also discussed at varying catalyst contents. The results demonstrate that the second-order kinetic model shows a better fit to the experimental data at the higher InOOH contents of 0.4 and 0.8 g/L.

Ag-Modified ZnO Nanorod Array Fabricated on Polyester Fabric and Its Enhanced Visible-Light Photocatalytic Performance by a Built-in Electric Field and Plasmonic Effect.

ZnO nanorod arrays (NRAs) were fabricated on polyester fabrics (PFs) by a two-step method and modified with Ag by magnetron sputtering. The photogenerated charge transport properties of the Ag/ZnO nanorod heterojunctions were studied by a self-made Kelvin probe system and a surface photovoltage (SPV) test system. The measured work functions (WFs) of the deposited Ag and ZnO nanorod are 4.67 and 5.56 eV, respectively. The SPV spectra indicate that the direction of the inner electric field is from the Ag layer to the inner of the ZnO nanorod. The enhancement of light absorption by the local surface plasma resonance (LSPR) effect of Ag/ZnO NRA was observed by Raman microspectroscopy and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the Ag/ZnO NRA-functionalized PFs was evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RB) solution under visible light. The full photo-oxidation of RB and the outperforming ZnO NRA-coated PFs demonstrate that the enhanced photocatalytic performance of Ag/ZnO NRA-coated PFs results from the cooperation of the inner electric field of the Ag/ZnO nanorod heterojunction and Ag LSPR.

UV responsive quercetin derived and functionalized CuO/ZnO nanocomposite in ameliorating photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B dye and enhanced biocidal activity against selected pathogenic strains

Quercetin was investigated for its role as a reducing agent in biosynthesizing CuO/ZnO nanocomposite, its subsequent surface functionalization and influence in Rhodamine B dye degradation and biocidal activity. The as synthesized quercetin functionalized CuO/ZnO nanocomposite (CuO/ZnO@Q) was analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infra red spectroscopy (FTIR), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). XRD showed the formation of crystalline CuO, ZnO phases and FTIR analysis revealed the incorporation of quercetin functional groups in the synthesized nanocomposite. TEM image displayed the formation of quercetin deposited spherical CuO/ZnO nanostructure with the EDAX results confirming the presence of organic carbon composition from quercetin. The UV absorption spectra ascertained the presence and role of quercetin in the enhanced absorption of radiation in the UV range. CuO/ZnO@Q showed improved photocatalysis with complete Rhodamine B dye degradation after 75 min of UV irradiation, as against pure CuO/ZnO, which exhibited incomplete dye degradation even after 90 min of irradiation. Moreover, quercetin surface functionalization effectively ameliorated its antimicrobial activity against E. coli, S. aureus, Shigella, B. subtilis, A. niger and C. albicans, proving its potential in significantly enhancing biocidal activity along with photocatalytic dye degradation in a natural and eco-friendly route.

Enhanced photocatalytic activity of biogenically synthesized CuO nanostructures against xylenol orange and rhodamine B dyes

In the present article we report the Tamarindus indica L extract mediated biogenic green synthesis of CuO nanostructures. The synthesis consisted of reacting mixtures of copper salt solution and fruit extract at elevated temperatures. Heating under hydrothermal conditions for a very short duration (1 h) and under normal conditions for several hours were employed. The role of the heat treatment method on the growth of the nanostructures and their photocatalytic properties has been investigated. To the best of our knowledge, no one else has reported such a rapid synthesis of CuO nanostructures biogenically employing plant extracts. Moreover, no one else has reported the synthesis of CuO nanostructures such as nanosheets using fruit extracts of Tamarindus indica L. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) results reveal that the CuO nanostructures grow in the monoclinic and cubic phases. Morphological studies indicate the material grown under short duration (hydrothermal conditions) predominantly consists of nanosheets (~27 nm thick) while that grown with prolonged heating consists of granular nanoparticles (diameter ~ 19 nm), both agglomerated as spherical structures. Thermogravimetric results show good thermal stability of the nanostructures even at high temperatures. Optical properties indicate the material is visible light active and possesses an indirect energy band gap ~ 1.7 eV. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the nanostructures showed prominent emission at ~700 nm and a small amount of emission around 400 nm. The color coordinates of the nanoparticles determined from the PL data were located in the blue region of the Commission internationale de l'éclairage (CIE) diagram. Surface area analysis revealed mesoporous nature of the nanostructures. The nanosheets exhibit larger surface area (35.4 m2/g) than the granular nanoparticles (22.6 m2/g). The microspheres made of agglomerated nanosheets were used to carry out the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and xylenol orange (XO) dyes under UV–Visible light illumination. The nanosheets exhibited strong photocatalytic behavior and photodegraded 96% of RhB and 87% of XO in 150 and 90 min of light illumination, respectively. The photocatalyst showed good stability during the photocatalytic reactions. High activity and better stability of the nanosheets indicate the photocatalysts have potential ability to get commercialized.

A novel bimetallic (Fe/Bi)-povidone-iodine micro-flowers composite for photocatalytic and antibacterial applications

The present work describes the synthesis of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) assisted Fe-BiOI based Fe/Bi-povidone‑iodine (Fe/Bi-P-I) micro-flowers based composite and its photocatalytic and antibacterial applications. The Fe/Bi-P-I micro-flowers-based composite material was synthesized using a simple co-precipitation method. The prepared Fe/Bi-P-I micro-flowers-based composite materials were characterized using various characterization techniques and tested against photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) dye and antibacterial analysis. The PVP or povidone‑iodine provides more exposure of reactive sites and oxygen vacancies, which leads to a high separation rate of photoinduced charge carriers, and migration, thereby 100% of photodegradation efficiency at 1 mg/L initial concentration of RhB dye towards the synthesized P-Fe-BiOI based micro-flowers composite. Interestingly, Povidone-Iodine in Fe/Bi-P-I micro-flowers-based composite might be advantageous for antimicrobial activity against both gram-negative (E. coli), and gram-positive (S. aureus) bacterial strains. Therefore, the prepared Fe/Bi-P-I micro-flowers-based composite improved both photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants as well as high antimicrobial activity. The method of synthesizing the Bi/Fe-P-I micro flower composite in the present study is novel, facile, and economically viable.

Photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye in waste water and enzymatic inhibition study using cauliflower shaped ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by a novel One-pot green synthesis method

The ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) are considered to be one of the inexpensive and very important bioactive materials widely used in drug delivery, as a photo-catalyst material, antibacterial, bioimaging, anticancer, anti-inflammation, wound healing, and diabetes treatment. Therefore, we have prepared ZnO NPs using Alchemilla vulgaris (Lady’s mantle) leaves and investigated their anti-enzymatic properties. Phases of the ZnO NPs were determined from X-Ray diffraction (XRD) spectra. The shape and size of the green synthesized NPs were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and it confirms the cauliflower shape with an average size of 120 nm. But the beads inside the cauliflower shape are 20 nm in size. The prepared ZnO NPs show the cumulative median particle size of 550 nm. The thermogravimetric (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) were performed at different heating rates to study the percentage of weight loss, and activation energy. The activation energy was calculated to be 4.98 kJ/moles using Kissinger method. We also studied the enzyme inhibition effect of ZnO NPs containing biologically active groups on important metabolic enzymes like butyrylcholinesterase(BChE), acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and α-glycosidase (α-Gly) enzymes. The bandgap of ZnO NPs was also studied by UV–Vis spectroscopy via Tauc's method and it was determined to be 3.27 eV. The photocatalytic property of the ZnO NPs was executed against rhodamine B (RhB) under the illumination of an AM 1.5 solar simulator.