Variation of pH and Composite Dosage on the Photocatalytic Activity for ZnO/epoxy Nanocomposites

Abstract

In this research, Zinc oxide (ZnO)/epoxy nanocomposite was synthesized by simple casting method with 2wt. % ZnO concentration. The aim of this work was to study the effect of pH and composite dosage on the photocatalytic activity of ZnO/ epoxy nanocomposite. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique images proof the homogeneous distribution of ZnO nanoparticles in epoxy. A synthesized nanocomposite samples were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometer (FTIR) measurements. Two spectra for epoxy and 2wt.% ZnO/epoxy nanocomposites were similar and there are no new bonds formed from the incorporation of ZnO nanoparticles. Using HCl and NaOH were added to Methylene blue (MB) dye (5ppm) to gat pH values 3 and 8. The degradation of the dye was 90.816% were pH =8 after 180 min. under sun-light. The degradation was 6.131% were pH=3 after 240 min. under sun-light irradiation. It is found that the base solution help in accelerating the photocatalytic process, pH with high value provides greater concentration of hydroxyl ions which interact with h+ to form hydroxyl radicals OH- that give an enhancement degradation rate of dyes. The dose of ZnO was increased from 3g to 6g with Methylene blue MB (5ppm) the degradation was 94.3755% after 240 min. under sun-light irradiation. This means that increasing the dose of ZnO, the photocatalytic activity will be increased.

Photocatalytic Activity and Wettability Properties of ZnO/Sawdust/Epoxy Composites

“…Then, using a glass rod, a mixture of 80% epoxy resin and 20% sawdust was mixed with the initial mixture to form a homogeneous solution. After that, the mixture is put into glass molds with dimensions of (15  10 × 0.3) cm 3 . Then the samples were cut using a Laser CNC Machine which gives accurate dimensions of the sample with little deterioration, as shown in Fig.…”

“…The term "composite material" refers to a type of material made up of two or more components with different chemical and physical characteristics. When two or more elements are integrated, a new material emerges with qualities that differ from the initial composition [1][2][3]. The components of the composite retain their individual, physical and chemical properties.…”

“…Nanoparticles (NPs) reinforced composites, for instance, are categorized based on the shape and size of the reinforcing material structure [5][6][7]. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) are an n-type semiconductor material with a hexagonal Wurtzite crystal structure that has garnered a lot of interest due to their light sensitivity, stability, and broad bandgap [3,8]. At ambient temperature, ZnO has a direct bandgap of 3.37 eV, and a deep violet electromagnetic radiation (UV) absorption [9].…”

Photocatalytic Degradation of Methyl blue by TiO2 Nanoparticles Incorporated in Cement

“…Photocatalytic modern technology has been recognized as one of the most efficient solutions for managing air pollutants due to its superior photocatalytic (PC) activity, low cost, and 100% degradation [9]. Photocatalytic oxidation, which involves photocatalyst activation by solar light or UV irradiation, is one of the most significant and potentially improved oxidation processes [10]. A photocatalytic is a semiconductor with the capacity to operate as a sensitizer for light-reduced redox processes because of its electrical structure, which contains a filled valence band and an empty conduction band.…”