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.
The COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019), caused by the SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) began in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Until February 2021, there are 110 million of infected people, 60 million have recovered and approximately 2.5 million have passed away worldwide according to WHO. The coronavirus pandemic is evolving very rapidly and represents a risk for health care workers and society in general. Moreover, pandemic has tested the limits of health systems by raising questions about forms of prevention, management of infections with conventional therapies and the use of diagnostic tools. In this article we discussed the possible role of the nanostructured-graphene based materials as aid tools for preventing the spread and infection of SARS-CoV-2. In this regard, nanotechnology could take part in the fight against the spread of future diseases caused by deadly viruses. However, its use should be well founded in terms of biocompatibility. Therefore, we have proposed an approach based on graphene nanomaterials as possible allies for the fight against the COVID-19 spread based on the physicochemical features that present these novel nanomaterials.
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