Green synthesis and characterization of RGO/Cu nanocomposites as photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in waste-water

Recently, nanocomposite photocatalysts based on semiconductors have attracted much attention due to their suitable bandgap. Combination of tow of several semiconductors can slow down the electron-hole recombination. In this regard, we have depicted an eco-friendly and green fabrication technique to synthesize RGO/Cu nanocomposite by the reduction of graphene oxide and Cu²⁺ ion utilizing spearmint extract as a reductant and capping agent. The sample was identified by FTIR, XRD, FESEM, EDS, HRTEM, and CV. The results of photocatalytic performance revealed that RGO/Cu is an efficient catalyst for degrading organic pollutants. This compound can eliminate Rhodamine B (RhB) and Methylene blue (MB) 91.0% and 72.0%, respectively.     

Co-precipitation synthesis of CeVO4 nanoparticles for electrochemical hydrogen storage

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - In this study, cerium vanadate (CeVO4) nanoparticles were synthesized using ammonium metavanadate and cerium (III) nitrate hexahydrate as...     

Effect of alumina nanoparticles on the antifouling properties of polycarbonate-polyurethane blend ultrafiltration membrane for water treatment

In this work, the flexibility of polycarbonate (PC) membrane was improved by using polyurethane (PU) additive. However, due to the hydrophobic nature of the PU polymer, alumina (Al₂O₃) nanoparticles were incorporated to PC-PU blend membrane. The prepared membranes have been used in a submerged membrane system to eliminate humic acid molecules from polluted water in both the presence and absence of coagulant (polyaluminum chloride). The obtained results showed that introduction of PU into PC membrane diminished hydrophilicity and enhanced porosity. Moreover, the flexibility of the PC membrane remarkably improved. Introduction of 1.5 wt% Al₂O₃ to the PC-PU blend membrane led to enhancement in both porosity and hydrophilicity. Results of morphological studies showed that in the presence of Al₂O₃ nanostructures, finger-shaped voids seemed to elongate across the entire thickness of the prepared membrane. Atomic force microscopy images showed that incorporation of PU and Al₂O₃ to the PC membrane resulted in a smoother surface. The antifouling performance of membranes revealed that the PC-PU/Al₂O₃ nanocomposite membrane possessed the most favorable antifouling features owing to its lowest surface roughness as well as highest hydrophilicity. For all membranes utilizing coagulant (PAC), the irreversible fouling ratio and the flux recovery ratio significantly diminished and increased, respectively.     

Green synthesis of Dy2Ce2O7 ceramic nanostructures using juice of Punica granatum and their efficient application as photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminants under visible light

An effective and simple route is developed for production of Dy₂Ce₂O₇ nanostructures by applying juice of Punica granatum as fuel and metal nitrates. Juice of Punica granatum has for the first time been exploited as a new fuel for simple synthesis of various structures of Dy₂Ce₂O₇ in terms of shape, photocatalytic efficiency and particle size at different time and temperature for production. TEM, Raman, DRS, XRD, FESEM and EDS are exploited for study and characterization the obtained nano-sized structures of Dy₂Ce₂O₇. Photocatalytic efficiencies have been evaluated with destruction of erythrosine and methylene blue pollutants under visible illumination over the various structures of Dy₂Ce₂O₇. Results clearly demonstrated that the nano-sized structures of Dy₂Ce₂O₇ obtained by application of juice of Punica granatum as new fuel at 450 °C for 4 h revealed excellent photocatalytic efficiency for the destruction of erythrosine and methylene blue pollutants.