Bimetallic CuO−ZnO Hybrid Nanocomposite Materials for Efficient Remediation of Environmental Pollutants

Abstract

Pure CuO and 2‐Dimentional CuO−ZnO nanocomposites (NCs) were effectively prepared by an ultrasound‐assisted probe sonication route for different ratios of CuO and ZnO, and the multifunctional properties were investigated by the application of the advanced methods. XRD (X‐ray diffraction) patterns revealed a crystallite size (D) range of 25 to 31 nm for pure CuO and CuO−ZnO NCs. According to calculations, the energy band gap value (Eg) for the NCs is between 2.15 and 2.48 eV. Under UV light irradiation, the photocatalytic degradation of pure CuO and CuO−ZnO NCs on Direct Green (DG) and Fast Blue (FB) dyes was assessed. 60 mg of the catalyst was added to 20 ppm solutions of DG and FB dye. The stock solution of the dyes was prepared 10, 15, 20 and 25 ppm of 250 ml dye solution. Electrochemical analysis using cyclic voltammetry revealed improved redox potential output in the electrode crafted with graphite powder in 0.1 N HCl electrolyte solution. These NCs were used because of their capacity to detect an extremely dangerous chemical like arsenic. The constructed electrode‘s lowest limit of detection was determined to be 110–3 mol/L. In general, vertical linearity was seen in all of the prepared nano‐electrodes, especially above 150 ohms with real axis for pure CuO but beyond 100 ohms for doped electrodes. Based on our study, we conclude that the CuO and ZnO NCs, containing 10 % of ZnO, were the most effective photocatalyst for DG and FB dyes and electrochemical sensor for Arsenic.