For the first time, C-ZnO/BiVO4 heterostructured nanocomposite has been synthesized from BiVO4 and carbon-doped ZnO nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction (XRD) study showed themonoclinic scheelite ...structure of BiVO4 and the hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO in the C-ZnO/BiVO4 composite. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) images revealed the spherical nanoparticles of size 20 to 30 nm for C-ZnO. The band gap of the ZnO has turned towards the visible region by doping with carbon as well as a composite formation with visible light active material BiVO4. The chemical states of Zn, O, C and Zn, O, C, Bi, V species in C-ZnO, and C-ZnO/BiVO4 composite respectively were confirmed by X-ray photoelectron microscopy (XPS) analysis. Also, the XPS spectra showed the significant peaks shift in the electronic states of Zn, O, and C for the heterojunction composite. The suppression of the electron-hole recombination rate was confirmed from the quenching of photoluminescence (PL) intensity for the composite. The adsorption study has performed, and the experimental results fit well with the Langmuir isotherm model for understanding the catalytic activity of the samples. The possible Z-scheme photocatalytic mechanism of the C-ZnO/BiVO4 nanocomposite photocatalyst has proposed. The nanocomposite exhibited the enhanced catalytic activity with the higher degradation rate constant of 0.050 min−1 for 50 min irradiation of visible light compared with their counterparts.
•C-ZnO/BiVO4 nanocomposite has higher pseudo first order kinetic rate constant.•The band gap of ZnO can be tuned into visible light via the formation of composite.•The influence of C and BiVO4 in ZnO and their catalytic performances against MB dye.•The formation of hetero-junction suppressed the electron–hole recombination rate.
In the present study, Graphene Oxide (GO) was prepared by the modified Hummer’s method. Further, different wt% of reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO) decorated TiO
2
(TiO
2
-rGO) nanocomposites were ...synthesized using non-toxic sodium L-ascorbate as a reducing agent. The structure, morphology, optical and chemical composition of the composites were investigated with analytical techniques such as XRD, FESEM, HRTEM, UV –Vis DRS, FTIR, XPS and Raman spectroscopy. The zeta potential study reveals that the surface charge of the materials is negative and the value increases with the increase in the rGO content which proves residual acid groups on rGO and by the decoration of rGO surface with TiO
2
. The photocatalytic activity of the composites was tested for the degradation of nitrophenols Mononitrophenol (MNP), Dinitrophenol (DNP) and Picric Acid (PA) in the presence of the Fenton’s reagent with UV light (wavelengths 254 and 390 nm), visible light and sunlight at different pHs (3,7 and 10). In the presence of Fenton’s reagent, the catalyst TiO
2
-rGO 1% exhibited 100% degradation of nitrophenols in UV light of wavelength 254 nm within 15 min whereas with sunlight the catalysts, TiO
2
-rGO 5% and TiO
2
-rGO 10% exhibited 100% degradation of nitrophenols within 15 min and 18 min, respectively, at pH 3. Thus, the combined catalysts could have much impact on the photocatalytic degradation of water-borne organisms in the future.
Graphical abstract
N
-Acetyl-
L
-Leucine(NAL), a single crystal with dimensions up to 9 × 4 × 2 mm
3
was grown. The grown crystal is associated with noncentrosymmetric space group P2
1
2
1
2
1
and crystallizes in ...orthorhombic crystal system. This grown crystal is characterized by powder XRD analysis. Further, various molecular vibrations in the material was confirmed by FTIR and FT-Raman spectrum. Lower cut off of NAL single crystal was found to be 298 nm. The melting point of the crystalline powder sample of NAL was found to be180°Cand decomposes at 308 °C. In photoluminescence studies the emission of the crystals was observed at 305 nm. SHG efficiency of NAL was around 4.3 times that of KDP, as determined by the Kurtz-Perry powder technique. Quantum chemical calculations of the NAL molecules were performed using the Gaussian 09 software program. The energy value of HOMO–LUMO orbital’s was also investigated using Frontier Molecular Orbital analysis. The molecular nonlinear properties, molecular electrostatic potential map, and Mulliken charge analysis were all performed and discussed in detail.
In the present work, a novel Guanidinium
l
-glutamate (GLG) optically transparent single crystal has been synthesized and grown by slow solvent evaporation method for the first time is reported. ...Single crystal X-ray diffraction demonstrates that the GLG crystallizes in non-centrosymmetric monoclinic crystal with
P2
1
space group. The different functional groups present in the grown crystal were found by Fourier transform infrared analysis. The optical properties of the grown crystal such as absorbance, laser damage threshold have been studied. The bandgap energy of the crystal was found to be 4.66 eV. Thermal properties of GLG crystalline samples were analyzed using Thermogravimetry/Differential Thermal Analysis. Further, the material is characterized by Hirshfeld surface analysis to analyze and interrupt the intermolecular interactions of GLG. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) studies were carried out to study the surface morphology of the grown crystal. By using Kurtz-Perry powder technique second harmonic generation and particle size dependency was carried out for the title compound.
In the present study, the composite formation of carbon-doped ZnO (C–ZnO) with binary metal oxide semiconductor V
2
O
5
has been done to hinder the limitations of both ZnO and V
2
O
5
in the ...photocatalysis application. There are limited reports on heterostructure materials composed of ZnO and V
2
O
5
for visible-light-driven composite photocatalysts. But we have synthesized the nanocomposites with the crucial components of C–ZnO for the first time with V
2
O
5
, to the best of our knowledge. A C–ZnO/V
2
O
5
nanocomposite was synthesized from the different weight percents of V
2
O
5
concerning the C–ZnO nanoparticles. An XRD study depicted the orthorhombic phase of V
2
O
5
and the hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO in the composites. The chemical states and the valence of the species in the C–ZnO/V
2
O
5
composite have been confirmed by XPS analysis. The catalytic performance of the synthesized nanocomposite photocatalysts against organic dye degradation under visible-light exposure has been investigated. The C–ZnO/V
2
O
5
nanocomposite photocatalyst exhibited improved catalytic performance over bare ZnO and V
2
O
5
. Based on the recycling experiments, the stability of the as-synthesized photocatalyst was confirmed toward the degradation of organic contaminants. The significant role of reactive species in the photocatalysis degradation process was confirmed from the trapping experiments. The interfacial contact between the ZnO and V
2
O
5
helps to separate the charge carriers and actively participates in the photocatalytic degradation process.
Nitrophenols has become a significant threat to the ecosystem and the health of the human beings. Photocatalytic degradation is considered to be the utmost competent approach for the amputation of ...nitroaromatic pollutants. In this research, 2-nitrophenol (MNP), 2,4-dinitrophenols (DNP), and 2,4,6-trinitrophenol or picric acid (PA) are taken for the degradation studies using the photo-Fenton catalyst of synthesized TiO
2
nanoparticle modified with biopolymer containing organic and inorganic functionalities. The morphological study reveals the uniformly distributed TiO
2
nanoparticles (15 nm) surfaces are encapsulated by the active site-rich chitosan-ligand-copper complex facilitating more absorption and enhancing the photocatalytic activity toward the target molecules. The UV spectra confirm the predominant shifting of absorption peak in the range 305–310 nm which results due to the formation of TiO
2
-CBGCu nanocomposites. The zeta potential of the synthesized nanocomposites TiO
2
-CBGCu 5%, TiO
2
-CBGCu 10%, and TiO
2
-CBGCu 20% are − 12, − 20, and − 29 mV which reveals that the value increases with the increase in CBGCu content which in turn signifies the more stability in aqueous solution. Amid the prepared nanocomposites, TiO
2
-CBGCu 10% demonstrates the imperative catalytic performances toward MNP, DNP, and PA pollutants along with the Fenton’s reagent at pH 3.0 under visible light and solar light. It shows effective degradation for strong acid PA within 18 min in visible light compared to MNP and DNP due to the presence of more active sites in the synthesized nanocomposites. This work has created awareness about the multifunctional catalyst and the effectiveness of the same has opened a new passage to eliminate nitrophenols from the agonized environment.
The slow evaporation solution growth technique was used to successfully grow
N
-allylthiourea (NAT) crystals. The grown crystal was confirmed to be centrosymmetric space group
P2
1
/c
with monoclinic ...system using single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Fourier transforms infrared and Raman analysis established the functional group of the grown crystal. Furthermore, the thermal stability of the compound was determined using thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. A spectroscopic analysis of UV–Vis-NIR transmission reveals a lower cutoff wavelength of 260 nm and an energy gap of 3.9 eV. The photoluminescence analysis shows the emission of the grown crystal at 336 nm in UV region. Third-order nonlinear optical parameters such as nonlinear refractive index (
n
2
= 2.88 × 10
–7
cm
2
/W), nonlinear absorption coefficient (
β
= 9.05 × 10
–3
cm/W) and third-order nonlinear susceptibility (
χ
3
= 3.27 × 10
−5
esu) have been calculated using
Z
scan studies. In addition, computational studies including molecular geometry optimization, Mulliken atomic charge analysis and HOMO–LUMO analysis have been conducted by means of B3LYP method at 6-311+G(d,p) to explore different intermolecular interactions. Further, the molecular electrostatic potential is used to visualize and predict potential nucleophilic and electrophilic interactions.
Superparamagnetic Fe
3
O
4
has created major attention towards the drug delivery applications because it is used as the nanocarrier for delivering drugs to the specific tumour site and has less ...toxicity. The present report reveals a pH-responsive superparamagnetic iron oxide (Fe
3
O
4
) nanoparticle comprising with Polyethylene glycol-polymethyl methacrylate (PEG-PMMA) as a drug carrier. This magnetite nanoparticle is prepared by the hydrothermal method and characterized. The synthesised nanoparticles are uneven morphology in shape and with varying in diameter range of 30−150 nm. . In vitro curcumin loading and its releasing behaviour of magnetic nanoparticles were analysed using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The obtained result shows that curcumin was liberated in a well sustained manner particularly in the pH 5.4, which is well suited for a human body for delivering drugs. The synthesised nanomaterials were treated against adenocarcinoma gastric cell line (AGS). Cur-PEG-PMMA-Fe3O4 persistently repressed the progress of AGS cells in a dose and time-dependent manner.
Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures have been synthesized using zinc acetate dehydrate and deionised water as precursors by the hydrothermal method. To investigate the morphology and size of the ZnO ...nanostructures, different concentrations of organic ligand hydrazine hydrate were added as a passivating agent to the precursor solution. The crystal structure of the synthesized samples were analysed by X-ray diffractometer. The influence of variation of hydrazine hydrate concentration in the synthesized samples has been investigated from the field emission scanning electron microscope images. From the diffuse reflectance spectroscopy studies, the optical absorption and band gap of the samples were determined. The samples were examined for morphology and size dependent photocatalytic activity against the degradation of methylene blue organic dye under visible light irradiation.
Carbon-doped ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized through different carbon precursors namely fullerene, glucose, and sucrose via hydrothermal method. The presence of carbon in the ZnO lattice was ...confirmed by the shifting of diffraction peaks and micro Raman characteristic peak of ZnO towards the lower values. XPS spectra confirms the Zn–O–C bond from the shifting of binding energy peaks towards the higher value for C-ZnO due to the variation in the electronegativity values of C and O. Based on the elemental analysis and photoluminescence studies, the deficiency of O and Zn in ZnO was confirmed while ZnO doped with carbon. The visible-light catalytic performance of the prepared photocatalysts for the mineralization of organic dye was studied. Carbon plays a significant contribution to enhance the photocatalytic activity and photostability of pristine ZnO till fourth cycle by overcoming the photocorrosion of ZnO because of its environmental and biological friendly nature. The trapping experiments were employed to demonstrate the degradation process and the possible photocatalysis mechanism.
