Fabrication of Ag-doped ZnO by mechanochemical combustion method and their application into photocatalytic Famotidine degradation

• Published in: Journal of environmental science and health. Part A, Toxic/hazardous substances & environmental engineering Toxic/hazardous substances & environmental engineering, 2019-07, Vol.54 (9), p.914-923
• Main Authors: Molla, Md. Ashraful Islam, Furukawa, Mai, Tateishi, Ikki, Katsumata, Hideyuki, Kaneco, Satoshi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetic acid; Ag-doped ZnO; Combustion; Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy; Fabrication; Famotidine; Irradiation; Mechanochemical combustion method; Nanocomposites; Oxalic acid; Photocatalysis; photocatalytic degradation; Photodegradation; Photoelectron spectroscopy; Photoelectrons; Photoluminescence; Photons; Recombination; Silver; Spectroscopy; Spectrum analysis; Synthesis; Ultraviolet radiation; Wurtzite; X ray photoelectron spectroscopy; X-ray diffraction; Zinc; Zinc acetate; Zinc oxide
• ISSN: 1093-4529; 1532-4117
• DOI: 10.1080/10934529.2019.1608793

Ag/ZnO nanocomposites are successfully synthesized at different Ag contents through simple, effective, high yield and low-cost mechanochemical combustion technique, with the addition of silver acetate to zinc acetate and oxalic acid mixture. The synthesized materials are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron spectroscopy (SEM), BET surface area analysis, UV − visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV − DRS) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). It is shown that the prepared nanocomposites are composed of metallic Ag 0 and wurtzite ZnO. The photocatalytic performance of different composites is evaluated by the degradation of Famotidine (FMT) under UV irradiation. The results indicate it that the maximum photodegradation rate is obtained with 6 wt% metallic Ag-decorated ZnO, and it is 2.1 times better than that obtained with pure ZnO. The photocatalytic degradation of FMT with Ag/ZnO is affected by various parameters such as calcination temperature and time, doping concentrations and reusability. The Ag/ZnO demonstrates higher activity due to the reduction of electron − hole recombination and Ag 0 metal catalyst. The possible photocatalytic degradation mechanism of FMT with Ag/ZnO is estimated from the scavenger test.