Wetness Impregnation Approach Research Articles

A highly effective PANI@(Ce-Er) dual doped ZnO (PCEZ) nanocomposite as UV-light driven photocatalyst for degradation of MB dye: Synthesis and characterization

Abstract Utilizing ecologically friendly methods to address wastewater concerns is paramount. In this study, we developed novel PANI@(Ce-Er) dual-doped ZnO (PCEZ) nanocomposites using a wet impregnation approach assisted by ultrasound. These composites were thoroughly characterized using XRD, FESEM, EDX, UV-DRS, PL, and Impedance Analyzer techniques to assess their structural, optical, and electrical properties. Structural characterization was conducted to analyze the crystalline behavior and chemical composition of the synthesized samples. UV-DRS and PL spectroscopy were utilized to analyze their optical properties. Compared to PANI alone, the PCEZ heterojunction demonstrated enhanced photocatalytic stability and efficiency. Notably, in neutral media, the PCEZ heterojunction exhibited a significant photodegradation efficiency against methylene blue (MB), achieving approximately to 94.14% degradation. Morphology analysis of the synthesized samples and elemental composition was effectively performed using SEM images and EDX data. The UV-DRS investigation aimed to confirm the active contacts of dopant metals with polyaniline backbone chains and assess the energy band gap, which defines the absorption behavior of the photocatalyst. Kinetic studies of methylene blue degradation were characterized using the Pseudo First-Order relation, with the best adjusted R2 value of 0.9947 observed for 50% w/w (PANI@(Ce-Er)-ZnO). The produced PANI@(Ce-Er) co-doped ZnO nanocomposites show promise as effective photocatalysts for the elimination of methylene blue in aqueous environments.

Constructing multifunctional novel noble-metal free NiS/ZnS/g-C3N4 ternary nanocomposites for highly active superior photocatalytic water splitting

Ultrasound-assisted wet-impregnation approach and cation-exchange hydrothermal method are employed effectively to develop the ternary nanocomposites NiS/ZnS/g-C3N4 (NZ-CN) with promising photocatalytic hydrogen (H2) generation activity. Several analytical techniques are utilized to characterize the as-synthesized NiS/ZnS/g-C3N4 nanocomposites to study their physical and chemical characteristics. The H2 production activity of the synthesized photocatalysts was tested using a 250 W halogen lamp with Na2S (0.25 M) and Na2SO3 (0.35 M) as sacrificial reagents. The optimized NZ-CN7.5% (3% NiS/ZnS/7.5% g-C3N4) catalyst displayed an exceptional H₂ generation rate of 8624 μmol h⁻1 g⁻1, exceeding both, pristine g-C3N4 (by 22.1 times) and 3% NiS/ZnS (by 3 times). This represents the highest reported rate of H₂ evolution for a graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) based ternary nanocomposite under simulated solar radiation. By reusing the used NZ-CN7.5% (3% NiS/ZnS/7.5% g-C3N4) photocatalyst in four consecutive runs, the stability of the catalyst was investigated, and their individual activity in the H2 production activity was assessed. This study provides valuable insights for designing efficient noble metal-free g–C3N4–based photocatalysts, which can significantly contribute to the transition to solar-driven hydrogen generation. Further, we proposed a plausible mechanism for the photocatalytic H2 generation process over the NiS/ZnS/g-C3N4 photocatalyst.

In-situ Hf/Zr co-doped Fe2O3 nanorod decorated with CuOx/CoOx: Enhanced photocatalytic performance for antibacterial and organic pollutants

Herein, we successfully synthesized Hf/Zr co-doping on Fe2O3 nanorod photocatalyst by a hydrothermal process and quenching methods. The synergistic roles of Hf and Zr double-doping on the bacteria inactivation test and decomposition of organic pollutants were investigated in detail for the 1 wt% CoOx loaded Hf/Zr–Fe2O3 NRs and CuOx/CoOx loaded Hf/Zr–Fe2O3 NRs photocatalyst. Initially, the rod-like porous morphology of the Hf/Zr-doped Fe2O3 NRs was produced via a hydrothermal method at various Hf co-doping (0, 2, 4, 7 and 10)%. Further, CoOx and CuOx loaded by a wet impregnation approach on the Hf/Zr–Fe2O3 NRs and a highly photoactive Hf(4)/Zr–Fe2O3 [CoOx/CuOx] NRs photocatalyst were developed. After the Hf(4)/Zr–Fe2O3 [CoOx/CuOx] NRs photocatalyst treatment, the Bio–TEM imagery of bacterial cells showed extensive morphological deviations in cell membranes. Hf(4)/Zr–Fe2O3 NR achieved 84.1% orange II degradation upon 3 h illumination, which is higher than that of Hf–Fe2O3 and Zr–Fe2O3 (68.7 and 73.5%, respectively). Additionally, the optimum sample, Hf(4)/Zr–Fe2O3 [CoOx/CuOx] photocatalyst, exhibited 95.5% orange II dye degradation after light radiation for 3 h. Optimized Hf(4)/Zr–Fe2O3 [CoOx/CuOx] catalysts exhibited 99.9% and 99.7% inactivation of E. coli and S. aureus with 120 min, respectively. Further, scavenger experiments revealed that the electrons are the primary responsible species for photocatalytic kinetics. This work will provide a rapid method for the development of high photocatalytic performance materials for bacterial disinfection and organic degradation.

Preparation and impregnation of deep eutectic solvents containing zileuton onto adsorbents to elicit the biopharmaceutical attributes

Deep eutectic solvent (DES) is a contemporary and eco-friendly solvent recently exploited to modulate the solubility of drugs. Herein, we developed DESs for an increment of solubility and bioavailability of zileuton (ZLT). ZLT is an anti-inflammatory drug categorized as an inhibitor of the enzyme 5-lipoxygenase commonly prescribed for treating chronic bronchial asthma. However, its therapeutic uses are limited owing to its poor water solubility. Several stable DESs were developed and assessed for viscosity, pH, and solubility. The DES comprising ChCl: EG (1:3) exhibits an excellent ZLT solubility (57.27 ± 0.14 mg/mL). The molecular and electrostatic interaction was assessed through a conductor-like screening model for real solvents (COSMO-RS). Further, 1H NMR analysis, FTIR, and digital microscopy were used to investigate the molecular transition in the chosen DES-ZLT. The DES in a liquid state possesses several drawbacks, such as instability, volatility, and dose precision. Therefore, a wet impregnation approach utilizing inert carriers such as Aerosil-200 and Avicel PH-102 was performed for the solidification of liquid DES. The solidified DES-ZLT was characterized by DSC and PXRD techniques and indicated the existence of ZLT in a highly dissolved state. Furthermore, solid DES-ZLT showed a significant increment in the dissolution studies, resulting in a 2.91 fold rise in oral bioavailability of ZLT. Hence, the presented study proves a well-organized and proficient development of a solid DES system to ameliorate the solubility and stability aspects of ZLT, which could provide the template for promising drugs that lack therapeutic effectiveness owing to solubility issues.

Silver‐doped rutile TiO2 nanotubes synthesis. First insights into selective photo‐oxidation of benzyl alcohol derivatives under visible light

AbstractThe synergistic effect between rutile TiO2 nanotubes and silver nanoparticles on the surface was studied. For that purpose, rutile TiO2 nanotubes were elaborated by a hydrothermal method, doped with silver by a wetness impregnation approach and fully characterized. The as synthesized material showed an improved photocatalytic activity, compared with bare rutile nanotubes, which was correlated to the changes in the optical, structural, and textural properties associated with the variation of silver amount. The photocatalytic activity of the as‐prepared catalysts was evaluated into the oxidation of different benzyl alcohol derivatives under visible light.

Improved photocatalytic performance of TiO2/carbon photocatalysts: Role of carbon additive

A series of TiO2 – based photocatalysts have been prepared by the incorporation of 10 wt% of various carbon-based nanomaterials as modifying agents to titania. More specifically, commercial TiO2 P25 was modified through a wet impregnation approach with methanol with four different carbon nanostructures: single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), partially reduced graphene oxide (prGO), graphite (GI), and graphitic carbon nitride (gCN). Characterization results (XPS and Raman) anticipate the occurrence of important interfacial phenomena, preferentially for samples TiO2/SWCNT and TiO2/prGO, with a binding energy displacement in the Ti 2p contribution of 1.35 eV and 1.54 eV, respectively. These findings could be associated with an improved electron-hole mobility at the carbon/oxide interface. Importantly, these two samples constitute the most promising photocatalysts for Rhodamine B (RhB) photodegradation, with nearly 100% conversion in less than 2 h. These promising results must be associated with intrinsic physicochemical changes at the formed heterojunction structure and the potential dual-role of the composites able to adsorb and degrade RhB simultaneously. Cyclability tests confirm the improved performance of the composites (e.g., TiO2/SWCNT, 100% degradation in 1 h) due to the combined adsorption/degradation ability, although the regeneration after several cycles is not complete due to partial blocking of the inner cavities in the carbon nanotubes by non-reacted RhB. Under these reaction conditions, Rhodamine-B xanthene dye degrades via the de-ethylation route.

Novel highly efficient ternary ZnO wrapped PPy-NTs/g-C3N4 nanocomposite as an epoxy coating for corrosion protection

The main goal of this study is to develop an epoxy coating coupled with an organic–inorganic hybrid nanocomposite that can be used as a corrosion-inhibiting pigment on carbon steel. Herein, polypyrrole nanotubes (PPy-NTs), polypyrrole nanotubes/g-C3N4 (PPy-NTs/g-C3N4) and novel nano-composite polypyrrole nanotubes/g-C3N4/ZnO (PGZ) were prepared by facile wet impregnation approach. The developed pigments were investigated using XRD, FTIR, FE-SEM equipped EDS. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and polarization measurements were used to assess the behavior of the prepared pigments on the anticorrosion performance of epoxy resin coatings. EIS experiments revealed that introducing nano-pigments to neat coatings enhanced the epoxy resin and charge transfer resistance. The anticorrosion performance of the three nano-pigments was assessed as follows: PGZ ˃ PPy-NTs/g-C3N4˃ PPy-NTs.

Upgrading of soybean meal-derived bio-oil via hydrodeoxygenation over [formula omitted]-Al2O3-supported monometallic and bimetallic catalysts

The characteristics of bio-oil derived from soybean meal were upgraded by the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) over monometallic and bimetallic catalysts. The heating value of the bio-oil remained low due to its high oxygen content. To minimize oxygenated compounds in the bio-oil, the HDO was performed in a high pressure reactor at 300 °C under hydrogen pressure. The catalysts utilized in this reaction were Ni/γ-Al2O3 and Ni-Co/γ-Al2O3 produced using an incipient wetness impregnation approach. Several aspects influencing bio-oil upgrading were investigated, including catalyst type, nickel and cobalt ratio, catalyst amount, and reaction time. When compared to the oil before upgrading, the bio-oil after HDO with all catalysts had a better quality with reduced oxygen and greater carbon contents. The Ni/γ-Al2O3 catalyst was more efficient than the bimetallic catalysts in terms of reducing oxygen content and increasing the heating value of the pyrolysis oil. The pyrolysis oil with the lowest oxygen content was produced by the 1% nickel on alumina catalyst, resulting in the high heating value (HHV) of 37.4 MJ/kg. The catalyst amount of 2.5 %wt and the reaction time of 1 h were the suitable conditions for the HDO of soybean meal-derived bio-oil.

A wet impregnation approach to synthesize MIL-101(Cr) with open metal sites and their application in the adsorption of volatile organic compounds

The simple wet impregnation method reported a series of MIL-101(Cr) materials doped with copper acetate paddle wheel species. Powder X-ray diffraction and SEM studies showed the MOF frameworks remained intact during wet impregnation, and SEM- EDX, XPS, and N2 adsorption analyses confirmed the successful copper acetate loading. Volatile organic compounds adsorption capabilities of these materials were further examined, and it found that copper acetate doped MIL-101 (Cr) possesses up to 61% improvement in toluene uptake as compared to pristine MIL-101 (Cr) at a low partial pressure of P/P0 = 0.10 under 298.1 K. This performance improvement is attributed to the unsaturated open metal sites introduced by molecular copper acetate with a paddle wheel structure. This study provides not only a new series of promising VOC removal MOFs with unsaturated Cu(II) open metal sites but also a simple, widely applicable method for introducing Cu(II) open metal sites into MOFs by using molecular copper species with predefined paddle wheel structure.

Tris(2-benzimidazolyl)amine (NTB)-Modified Metal-Organic Framework: Preparation, Characterization, and Mercury Ion Removal Studies

Heavy metal ions (HMIs) are exceedingly hazardous to both humans and the environment, and the necessity to eliminate them from aqueous systems prompted the development of novel materials. In this study, tris(2-benzimidazolylmethyl)amine (NTB) was impregnated into MIL-101-(Cr) metal-organic framework using an incipient wetness impregnation approach, and the ability of the composite material to adsorb Hg2+ ions from the water was examined. The synthesized materials were analyzed with several physico-chemical techniques such as powder X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, nitrogen sorption isotherms at 77 K, and X-ray photoelectron spectrometry. MIL-101-NTB quickly adsorbs 93.9% of Hg2+ ions within 10 min from a 10.0 ppm single ion solution. A better fit of the kinetic data to a pseudo-second-order model validated the chemisorption of Hg2+ ions on MIL-101-NTB. The experimental data fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm model, and the maximum adsorption capacity obtained at 125 ppm initial concentration was 111.03 mg/g. Despite the presence of other competing ions (Cu2+, Pb2+, and Cd2+), high Hg2+ ions removal efficiency (99.6%, 1.0 ppm initial concentration) was maintained in the diverse ion batch adsorption studies. A 0.2 M EDTA solution could desorb the Hg2+ ions, and cyclic Hg2+ ions sorption studies indicated that MIL-101-NTB might have a high Hg2+ ions removal efficiency for at least five consecutive cycles. Based on the FTIR and XPS analyses, Hg2+ ions chelation by NTB molecules and electrostatic interactions between Hg2+ ions and carboxylate groups in MIL-101-NTB are plausible mechanisms for Hg2+ ions adsorption.

Catalytic hydrothermal liquefaction of orange peels into biocrude: An optimization approach by central composite design

Global instability, persistent increase in pump-price, inflation and depletion of fossil fuel resources amidst the continuous discharge of greenhouse gases from fossil fuels combustion call for urgent attention. The application of novel catalyst towards an improved biocrude production and enhanced biomass conversion are required for effective performance of hydrothermal liquefaction of biomass feedstocks. In the present study, iron supported carbon nanospheres (Fe/CNSs) catalyst has been developed using wet impregnation approach and explored for its catalytic potency in improving yield of biocrude using an optimization approach; central composite design. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) was adopted as a process route where the catalyst dosage (3–6 wt%) and the reaction temperature (330–430 °C) were optimized on the constant weight of orange feedstock (10 g), reaction time of (15 mins) and solvents’ ratio of 3:1 (acetone to ethanol). The performance of the catalyst was found to be aided with the even dispersion of the Fe on the surfaces of the CNSs support and improved surface area. The effects of reaction temperature were observed to be more progressive on biocrude yield formation over the catalyst loading. The optimum biocrude yield, solid residue, biomass conversion and gas yield were obtained to be 71.09 wt%, 28.18 wt%, 71.82 wt% and 40.14 mL/g at 430 °C and 3 wt% catalyst loading. The obtained analysis of variance suggests a good correlation between the experimental and predicted data in all responses. The selectivity of Fe/CNSs catalyst to high yield of phenolics and aromatic compounds in the biocrude suggest that, the biocrude can be further be upgraded into transportation fuel through hydrodeoxygenation process. The findings have further suggested the viability of the developed Fe/CNSs as an effective catalyst for improved HTL products in a batch reactor.

Ni Nanoparticles Supported on High Surface Area Carborundum for Enhanced Hydrogen Production by Ammonia Decomposition

Ni nanocatalysts based on high surface area carborundum for the decomposition of ammonia to COx-free hydrogen are synthesized using a wet impregnation approach. The catalysts were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and H2-temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) methods. The Ni/SiC catalyst was found to be extremely active for the decomposition reaction when their activities were assessed in a fixed-bed reactor. Ni content and calcination temperature affect the crystallite size, dispersion, and reducibility of Ni species, thereby impacting the catalytic properties of catalysts. The 30Ni/SiC catalyst demonstrates the highest catalytic activity and long-term stability. At a high space velocity of 30 000 mL gcat–1 h–1, the 30Ni/SiC-700 catalyst converts ammonia by 79.6% at 550 °C, demonstrating that Ni/SiC is an effective ammonia decomposition catalyst. The present study provides a promising avenue for the development of cost-effective and high-performance catalysts for hydrogen production via NH3 decomposition.

Influence of Cu/Al Ratio on the Performance of Carbon-Supported Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 Catalysts for CO2 Hydrogenation to Methanol

CO2 hydrogenation to methanol was conducted using a set of activated carbon-supported Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts (CCZA) prepared by an incipient wetness impregnation approach. The effect of the Cu/Al ratio on the physicochemical properties of the catalysts, as well as their catalytic performance, were investigated. As Cu/Al ratio increased, the metallic Cu surface area displayed a reducing trend from 6.88 to 4.18 m2∙gcat−1, while the CO2 adsorption capacity exhibited an increasing trend. Meanwhile, aluminum content will have an important effect on the catalysts’ reducibility and, thus, on their catalytic performance. The CCZA-2.7-de catalyst demonstrated the highest selectivity to methanol at 83.75% due to the excellent distribution and synergistic effect of copper and zinc. Although the CO2 conversion of CCZA-2.2-de and CCZA-3.5-de exceeded 10%, the CH3OH selectivity was less than 60%, which may be attributed to the larger particle sizes of ZnO and poor interactions in Cu–Zn. The present study offers a novel approach to increase the number of active sites, optimize the activated carbon-aided Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst’s composition, and finally elucidate the mechanism for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol.

Doped-Nd enhanced the performance of FeCoMnCe catalyst on the NOx selective catalytic reduction

It is urgently necessary to create low-temperature, high-efficiency denitrification catalysts to convert NOx into industrial waste gas. This paper reveals the incipient wetness impregnation approach to create the FeCoMnCeNd catalyst. The FeCoMnCeNd catalyst showed better H2O resistance and increased low-temperature SCR activity than the FeCoMnCe catalyst. Over 80% of NO is converted by the FeCoMnCeNd catalyst at temperatures between 150 and 300 ℃. The XRD, BET, XPS, H2-TPR and NH3-TPD characterization were performed to explore the catalyst structure and reaction mechanism. It was found that Nd doping formed Ce0.5Nd0.5O1.75, and the configuration entropy increased, which increased the amount of surface chemisorbed oxygen, NH3/NO adsorption, and redox property. Overall, controlling configuration entropy could be an effective strategy for developing SCR catalysts.

Synthesis of CexZr1‐xO2/SiO2 supports for chromium oxide catalysts of oxidative dehydrogenation of propane with carbon dioxide

AbstractBACKGROUNDPropane dehydrogenation is an alternative way both to produce propylene and to utilize CO2. Because of the high oxygen mobility in cerium‐zirconium oxide (CexZr1‐xO2), it looks promising as a support for the chromium oxide catalysts of propane dehydrogenation with CO2. Supports of CexZr1‐xO2 on mesoporous silica were synthesized in this work to combine the high oxygen mobility of the former and the pore structure of the latter.RESULTSTwo applied synthetic approaches resulted in materials with different structure and properties. The wet impregnated catalysts demonstrated a higher activity and selectivity to propylene. At the same time, they had larger pore size distribution maxima (~9 nm) than the samples prepared by the introduction of metals simultaneously with Si‐precursor hydrolysis (~2 nm). For the chromium catalysts with the same support, the catalytic activity decreased with varying chromium loading as follows: 5% Cr > 3% Cr ≈ 7% Cr. For the catalysts with different CexZr1‐xO2 supports and equal chromium loading, the activity decreased with x changing as follows: 0.5 > 0.6 > 0.8 for the samples prepared by wet impregnation, and 0.8 ≈ 0.6 > 0.5 for the other synthetic path.CONCLUSIONSCatalysts were tested in oxidative dehydrogenation of propane with CO2. The wet impregnation approach turned out to be much more promising in terms of catalytic activity and selectivity to propylene in the reaction of propane dehydrogenation with CO2. The selectivity achieved was ≤80% at a 40% conversion. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

Enriching the methanol generation via CO2 photoconversion over the cockscomb-like fibrous silica copper

Carbon dioxide (CO2) photoconversion into methanol (CH3OH) was recognized as a beneficial approach to overcoming future energy and environmental issues. Here, CO2 photoconversion into CH3OH was intensively evaluated over fibrous silica-copper (FSCu) and copper-supported fibrous silica (CuO/KCC-1) generated through a microemulsion and incipient wetness impregnation approach, respectively. The physicochemical attributes of the generated photocatalysts were characterized via UV–vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, N2 physisorption, Field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. Depiction of the characterization results revealed that FSCu possessed a considerable surface area (299.7 m2 g−1) as well as pore volume (0.70 cm3 g−1) than those of CuO/KCC-1 and CuO. Indeed, the excellent CuO dispersion and intense CuO-interaction resulted from the alternately aligned CuO and SiO2 in the fibrous framework. As a result of these great attributes, the FSCu photocatalyst recorded a superior yield of CH3OH (412.4 µmol gcat−1 h−1) with triethylamine assistance as a sacrificial reductant, followed by CuO (310.3 µmol gcat−1 h−1) and CuO/KCC-1 (189.6 µmol gcat−1 h−1). Additionally, the ideal bandgap position for FSCu compared to CuO/KCC-1 contributed to the greater yield of CH3OH. The parameter evaluations recorded that the highest yield of CH3OH for FSCu was acquired at a catalyst of 0.6 g L−1, 100 mL min−1 of CO2, and the amount of TEA of about 50 mL. This paper also proposes a photoconversion mechanism for synthesized photocatalysts, as well as a comparative assessment of their performance with recently developed CuO-based photocatalysts.

Assessing the potential of green CdO2 nano-catalyst for the synthesis of biodiesel using non-edible seed oil of Malabar Ebony

Sustainable biodiesel synthesisfrom waste, toxic and non-edible oil seeds give a sustainable opportunity to combat energy crises and environmental depreciation.A new non-edible oil ofDiospyros malabarica(Malabar Ebony) was analyzed for the synthesis ofeco-friendly biodiesel using newly synthesized green nanoparticles (NPs) of Cadmium oxide (CdO2) prepared from leaf extract of Buxus papillosavia biological method followed by in situ wet impregnation approach. The highest fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yield of 94 wt% was attained through the process of transesterification at ideal experimental conditions i.e., 1:9 M ratio of oil to methanol, catalyst loading 0.5 wt%, experiment duration 180 min and reaction temperature of 90 °C. Optimize biodiesel yield from Diospyros malabarica using response surface methodology was also applied. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were utilized for the characterization of newly synthesized CdO2 NPs. The findings obtained from SEM revealed that CdO2 NPs were cubic in shape. The size of CdO2 NPs was 45 nm, which obtained from XRD analysis. EDX analysis showed 83.72 % cadmium composition. In thermogravimetric analysis, 5.2 % thermal degradation was observed which revealed that CdO2 NPs have strong thermal stability. The production of FAME was confirmed by using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC–MS), nuclear magnetic resonanceand Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques. 9-Octadecenoic acid is the key fatty acid with the highest abundance in the GC–MS spectrum. This study revealed that inedible oil seed of Diospyros malabaricaand newly synthesized green NPs of CdO2 has the highest potential to be used as highly reliable cost-effective and sustainableentrants for synthesizing eco-friendly diesel which is ultimately open up the avenue for further research in the exploration and application of economical feedstock for biodiesel industry at a larger scale.

Synthesizing Ag2Ox(3 wt%)-loaded ZnFe2O4 photocatalysts for efficiently saving polluted aquatic ecosystems

Herein, we report an Ag2Ox (3 wt%)-loaded ZnFe2O4 photocatalysts synthesized by co-precipitation and incipient wet impregnation approach for acetamiprid degradation, antibacterial, antioxidant, and toxicity assay. Initially, bare ZnFe2O4 nanostructures were made through a simple co-precipitation method. In the second step, 3 wt% of various transition metal oxides (CuOx, ZrOx, and Ag2Ox) were embedded on the surface of ZnFe2O4 photocatalysts via a wet impregnation method. Further, the prepared photocatalysts were systematically characterized using XRD, FTIR, FE-SEM, BET, HRTEM, and XPS analysis. The optimum Ag2Ox (3 wt%)-loaded ZnFe2O4 photocatalysts revealed higher degradation efficiencies for acetamiprid under sunlight irradiation. Additionally, the Ag2Ox (3 wt%)-loaded ZnFe2O4 photocatalysts showed more effective antioxidant and antibacterial activity than blank and bare ZnFe2O4 nanomaterials. The enriched catalytic efficiency can be accredited to the 3 wt% of Ag2Ox NPs loaded on ZnFe2O4 nanomaterials, possibly due to the boosted transport properties of the electron-hole pairs. This study will provide a new avenue for the development of simple and effective photocatalysts for efficiently saving polluted aquatic ecosystems.

Synergistic role of in-situ Zr-doping and cobalt oxide cocatalysts on photocatalytic bacterial inactivation and organic pollutants removal over template-free Fe2O3 nanorods

Herein, we synthesized in-situ Zr-doped Fe2O3 NRs photocatalyst by successive simple hydrothermal and air quenching methods. The synergistic roles of CoOx (1 wt%) and Zr-doping on bacteria inactivation and model organic pollutants over Fe2O3 NRs photocatalyst were studied in detail. Initially, rod-like Zr ((0–8) %)-doped Fe2O3 NRs were produced via a hydrothermal method. CoOx was loaded onto the Zr ((0–8) %)-doped Fe2O3 NRs) surface by a wet impregnation approach. The Zr-doping conditions and CoOx loadings were judiciously optimized, and a highly photoactive CoOx(1 wt%)/Zr(6%)-doped Fe2O3 NRs photocatalyst was developed. The CoOx(1 wt%) loaded Zr(6%)-doped Fe2O3 NRs photocatalyst revealed 99.4% inactivation efficiency compared with (0, 4 and 8)% Zr-doped Fe2O3 NRs, respectively. After CoOx(1 wt%)/Zr(6%)-doped Fe2O3 NRs photocatalyst treatment, Bio-TEM images of bacterial cells showed extensive morphological deviations in cell membranes, compared with the non-treated ones. Additionally, the optimum CoOx(1 wt%)/Zr(6%)-doped Fe2O3 NRs photocatalyst exhibited 99.2% BPA and 98.3% orange II dye degradation after light radiation for 3 h. This work will provide a rapid method for the development of photostable catalyst materials for bacterial disinfection and organic degradation.

Synthesis and Characterization of N-Modified TiO2 for Efficient Removal of Rhodamine B Dye under Natural Sun Irradiation

In this work, Nitrogen modified TiO2 nanoparticles were successfully synthesized via fast acid catalyzed sol-gel route with ammonia solution as a primary nitrogen precursor. The effect of amount of nitrogen was investigated by further incorporating secondary nitrogen in prepared sample with urea precursor by adopting wet impregnation approach. Pure TiO2 nanoparticles were also synthesized for comparison. Prepared photo-catalysts were characterized by Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy, X-Ray diffraction and diffuse reflectance spectroscopic analysis. XRD results confirmed the formation of anatase crystalline phase for all prepared samples. Laboratory test experiments on Rhodamine B (RhB) decomposition under artificial visible light (20W White LED) revealed the highest photocatalytic activity of catalyst doubly doped with ammonia solution and urea whereas pure TiO2 showed poor activity under visible light illumination. The effect of operational parameters such as catalyst dose, solution pH and substrate concentration on photocatalytic efficiency was also evaluated to obtain optimal conditions. Photocatalysis of RhB under natural sunlight with doubly-doped photo-catalyst (T5N2) showed remarkable photocatalytic performance of 99.9% after 1 hour illumination.