Síntese, caracterização e avaliação das propriedades fotocatalíticas do CuO e do compósito CuO/ZnO

Abstract

Due to the large number of industries and the excessive amount of pollutants they produce, the environment and humans are increasingly exposed to risks. One of the main agents in water pollution are the dyes, produced mostly by textile industries. Because they have complex structures, they are difficult to degrade, and advanced oxidative processes are an efficient alternative in the photodegradation of these organic compounds. In this work, copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles were synthesized by microwave assisted hydrothermal method, with the addition of ethylenediamine surfactant. Synthesis of pure CuO and addition of 1, 2 and 3 ml of EDA were performed at 140 ° C for 30 min. The nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy and UV-Vis spectroscopy. In order to verify the photocatalytic property, degradation tests of the methylene blue dye were carried out. The results of the X-ray diffraction confirmed CuO formation, and all the samples showed photocatalytic activity. In addition, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were synthesized in this work and a CuO 3 EDA / ZnO composite was prepared by microwave assisted hydrothermal method at 140 ° C for 30 min in order to obtain more satisfactory results of photocatalysis than those obtained for CuO samples previously done. This material was characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy and degradation tests of the methylene blue dye were performed. The results confirmed the formation of the composite and it showed superior photocatalytic activity than the CuO samples.