Visible Light Assisted Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance of ZnO/NiO Nanocomposites Prepared by Chemical Co-Precipitation Method

摘要

A series of Ni1-xZnxO(x = 0.1 to 0.4) nanocomposites is synthesized by facile chemical co-precipitation method. The structural analysis is carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD) graph which reveals both cubic (NiO) and hexagonal (ZnO) phases. Chemical bonding, morphology, elemental composition and optical properties of prepared nanocomposites are investigated by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), and UV-Vis spectroscopy respectively. FESEM micrographs show the formation of nanorods at higher concentration of zinc content. Introducing higher amount of Zn, optical band gap of composites is considerably reduced. Furthermore, solutions of Rose Bengal (RB) and Methylene Blue (MB) dyes are used to investigate the photocatalytic ability of synthesized samples in the presence of sunlight. It was found that the percentage degradation of dye concentration increases with irradiation time and also with the increase in concentration of zinc in prepared samples.