Facile and Sustainable Synthesis of ZnO Nanoparticles: Effect of Gelling Agents on ZnO Shapes and Their Photocatalytic Performance

Abstract

The present work involves investigating an unexplored soft-chemical method for synthesizing nanostructured ZnO through biopolymer gelation. Our objective was to exploit (i) the difference in the gelation mechanism of four tested biopolymers, namely, alginate, chitosan, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), and pectin and (ii) numerous experimental parameters that govern this process in order to allow the control of the growth of nanostructured ZnO, with a view to using the prepared oxides as photocatalysts for the oxidation of the Orange G dye. So, the effect of biopolymer’s nature on the microstructural, morphological, and textural properties was examined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, field-emission gun-scanning electron microscopy-high resolution (FEG-SEM) with energy-dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS), ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, and N2 adsorption/desorption. As-prepared oxides were crystallized in a hexagonal wurtzite structure, with a clear difference in their morphologies. The sample prepared by using chitosan has a specific surface area of around 36.8 m2/g in the form of aggregated and agglomerated nanostructured minirods and thus shows the best photocatalytic performance with 99.3% degradation of the Orange G dye in 180 min.

Easily deposited ZnO nanorods on siloxene nanosheets: investigation of morphological, dielectric, ferroelectric, and energy storage properties

“…As previously mentioned, ZnO as an abundant and eco-friendly material, offers versatile nanostructural forms with excellent chemical stability and unique properties for applications in several field, including nanobiotechnology, 28 photocatalysis, 29,30 solar cells, 31,32 piezoelectric devices, 33 and so on. The morphology of ZnO nanostructures varies depending on the synthesis method, precursor, and reaction conditions.…”

Soft chemistry synthesis of size-controlled ZnO nanostructures as photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cell

“…Additionally, the authors discovered that the incorporation of defects altered the photocatalytic efficiency for methylene blue degradation, attributed to the introduced defect levels in the conduction and valence bands. Vertical ZnO nanorods have also been successfully synthesized using a biopolymer gelation agent (El Faroudi et al, 2023). In the case of ZnO − chitosan, the structure exhibited adsorption in both the visible and UV range, attributed to intrinsic defects in ZnO.…”