No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

This research presents an alternative tin oxide (SnO 2) nanoparticles synthesis method using different concentrations of Citrus aurantifolia peel extract as reducing agent. We report the chemical identification protocol for polyphenols in the peels via FTIR, the characterization of the SnO 2 nanoparticles by FTIR, XRD, HRTEM, and UV-vis. The SnO 2 nanoparticles presented the Sn-O-Sn bond at 640 cm −1 and crystal growth with a clearly tetragonal structure. Depending on the amount of extract used, hemispherical nanoparticles of different sizes (5-12 nm) and band gap values ranging from 3.02 to 3.44 eV were obtained. Photocatalytic degradation studies of the synthesized SnO 2 were carried out using methylene blue under UV light. The sample with 4% extract of C. aurantifolia showed a degradation rate of about 96% at 120 min. The use of C. aurantifolia as a reducing agent in the synthesis of SnO 2 nanoparticles helps the properties and has control over the morphology of the nanoparticles.

The biosynthesis of oxide semiconductor nanoparticles (NPs) using materials found in nature opens a wide field of study focused on sustainability and environmental protection. Biosynthesized NPs have the capacity to eliminate organic dyes, which pollute water and cause severe damage to the environment. In the present work, the green synthesis of zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs was carried out using Capsicum annuum var. Anaheim extract. The photocatalytic elimination of methylene blue (MB), methyl orange (MO), and Rhodamine B (RhB) in UV radiation was evaluated. The materials were characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) and SEM-coupled energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), attenuated total reflectance-infrared (ATR-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Photoluminescence (PL), and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). The TEM analysis showed the NPs have an average size of 40 nm and quasi-spherical shape. ATR-IR showed the ZnO NPs contained functional groups from the extract. The analysis through XRD indicated that the NPs have a hexagonal zincite crystal structure with an average crystallite size of approximately 17 nm. The photoluminescence spectrum (PL) presented an emission band at 402 nm. From the UV-Vis spectra and TAUC model, the band-gap value was found to be 2.93 eV. Finally, the photocatalytic assessment proved the ZnO NPs achieved 100% elimination of MB at 60 min exposure, and 85 and 92% degradation of MO and RhB, respectively, at 180 min. This indicates that ZnO NPs, in addition to using a friendly method for their synthesis, manage to have excellent photocatalytic activity in the degradation of various organic pollutants.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract