TiO_2-ZnO composites fabricated via sonication assisted with gelatin for potential use in Rhodamine B degradation

摘要

Herewith we report a facile synthesis of zinc oxide doped with (5,10,15 and 20 wt%) titanium oxide nanocomposites in gelatin under ultra-sonication. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) data revealed the ZnO formation in addition to a rutile TiO_2 phase. The ZnO phase size decreased, while the rutile TiO_2 phase increased with a TiO_2 loading increment. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) displayed a combination of spherical and hexagonal particles with 60-80 nm size distribution. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared nanos-tructures was assisted using Rhodamine B dye, where they showed enhanced photodegradation competence under visible light irradiation. The kinetics of photodegradation followed the first-order kinetics with the 20%wt sample showing the maximum activity. The mechanistic investigation revealed the dominance of h~+ and O_2~- species during the dye photodegradation. The results indicate the potential application of such gelatin-stabilized nanostructures for dye illumination from aqueous solutions under sunlight.