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. 2021 Apr 20;11(4):1059.
doi: 10.3390/nano11041059.

Efficient and Rapid Photocatalytic Degradation of Methyl Orange Dye Using Al/ZnO Nanoparticles

Piangjai Peerakiatkhajohn  1 , Teera Butburee  2 , Jung-Hoon Sul  3 , Supphasin Thaweesak  4 , Jung-Ho Yun  5
Affiliations

Efficient and Rapid Photocatalytic Degradation of Methyl Orange Dye Using Al/ZnO Nanoparticles

Piangjai Peerakiatkhajohn et al. Nanomaterials (Basel). .

Abstract

ZnO and Aluminum doped ZnO nanoparticles (Al/ZnO NPs) were successfully synthesized by the sol-gel method. Together with the effect of calcination temperatures (200, 300 and 400 °C) and Al dosage (1%, 3%, 5% and 10%) on structural, morphological and optical properties of Al/ZnO NPs, their photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) dye was investigated. The calcination temperatures at 200, 300 and 400 °C in forming structure of ZnO NPs led to spherical nanoparticle, nanorod and nanoflake structures with a well-crystalline hexagonal wurtzite, respectively. The ZnO NPs calcined at 200 °C exhibited the highest specific surface area and light absorption property, leading to the MO removal efficiency of 80% after 4 h under the Ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation. The MO removal efficiency was approximately two times higher than the nanoparticles calcined at 400 °C. Furthermore, the 5% Al/ZnO NPs exhibited superior MO removal efficiency of 99% in only 40 min which was approximately 20 times enhancement in photocatalytic activity compared to pristine ZnO under the visible light irradiation. This high degradation performance was attributed to the extended light absorption, narrowed band gap and effective suppression of electron-hole recombination through an addition of Al metal.

Keywords: Al-doped; ZnO nanoparticles; methyl orange; photocatalytic degradation; sol-gel.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflict to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
FE-SEM micrographs showing the morphology of of ZnO NPs derived from various calcination temperatures at: (a) 200 °C; (b) 300 °C; and (c) 400 °C. (d) X-ray diffraction patterns of the ZnO NPs after calcination at the corresponding temperatures. (e) Specific surface area and particle size with deviation of ZnO NPs calcined at different temperatures.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) UV−Vis spectra; and (b) MO degradation efficiency of ZnO NPs at different calcination temperatures (200, 300 and 400 °C) under UV light irradiation.
Figure 3
Figure 3
FE-SEM and elemental mapping images of: (a) 1% Al/ZnO; (b) 3% Al/ZnO; (c) 5% Al/ZnO; and (d) 10% Al/ZnO photocatalysts. (e) The EDX spectrum of the 5% Al/ZnO.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) Absorption spectra of ZnO and Al/ZnO photocatalysts analyzed by UV–Vis spectrophotometer; and (b) Tauc plots of energy band gap for ZnO and Al/ZnO photocatalysts.
Figure 5
Figure 5
(a) Photodegradations (Inset shows the color change in MO at time intervals 0 and 40 min); (b) first−order reaction rates of MO dye; and (c) degradation rate constants of MO dye.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Mechanism of Al/ZnO photocatalyst for MO degradation under light irradiation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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