Synthesis of CuO-ZnO Nanocomposite and Its Photocatalytic Activity

Authors

1 Department of Chemistry, Islamic Azad University

2 Department of Environmental Research, Institute for Color Science and Technology

3 Department of Chemistry, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University

Abstract

In this paper, CuO-ZnO nanocomposite was synthesized and its photocatalytic dye degradation ability from colored wastewater was studied. Basic Red 18 (BR18) and Basic Violet 16 (BV16) were used as model dyes. The characteristics of CuO-ZnO of were investigated using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Photocatalytic dye degradation by CuO-ZnO was studied by UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The effects of CuO-ZnO dosage, initial dye concentration and salt on dye degradation were evaluated. The results indicated that CuO-ZnO as a photocatalyst could be used to degrade dyes from wastewater.

Keywords