Synthesis and characterization of CuO nanoparticles and TiO2/CuO nanocomposite and using them as photocatalysts
Nuha Abdul-Saheb Ridha, Hanaa Kadtem Egzar, Noor Mustafa Kamal
Abstract
During this study, a nanoparticle copper oxide was prepared by the electrolysis deposition method from solution using copper nitrate trihydrate Cu(NO3)2.3H2O, in addition to a nanocomposite of copper oxide and titanium oxide were prepared by one-step electrolysis deposition. The prepared compounds were diagnosed using FTIR, XRD and FESEM. The photocatalytic activity of copper oxide versus nanocomposite was compared in the photodegradation of amaranth dye solution and we found that the CuO/TiO2 nanocomposite had a higher efficacy in degradation of the amaranth dye solution compared to CuO. The photodegradation using UV light /TiO2/CuO system was better than CuO /UV system. 67.4% of Amaranth dye was degraded after 60 min with TiO2/CuO, whereas with CuO, only 57.03% dye degraded in this time. The photocatalytic degradation results of amaranth dye in suspension of each of CuO and TiO2/CuO can be qualified by pseud- first order kinetic according to Langmuir Hinshelwood kinetic model. The degradation rate constants values were calculated and were 0.01391 min−1 and 0.01816 min-1 for CuO and TiO2/CuO respectively