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Photocatalytic Activity of ZnO–SnO 2 Ceramic Nanofibers for RhB Dye Degradation: Experimental Design, Modeling, and Process Optimization
Author(s) -
Pascariu Petronela,
Cojocaru Corneliu,
Olaru Niculae,
Airinei Anton
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
physica status solidi (b)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1521-3951
pISSN - 0370-1972
DOI - 10.1002/pssb.201800474
Subject(s) - photocatalysis , materials science , rhodamine b , ceramic , irradiation , visible spectrum , wurtzite crystal structure , nanofiber , chemical engineering , aqueous solution , nuclear chemistry , nanotechnology , composite material , optoelectronics , zinc , metallurgy , chemistry , catalysis , organic chemistry , physics , nuclear physics , engineering
Photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) dye in aqueous solution is evaluated using ZnO−SnO 2 nanofibers under visible‐ and UV‐light irradiation. The ceramic nanofibers are characterized by X‐ray diffractometry (XRD) and TEM technique. The results of XRD disclose the wurtzite phase for the inorganic structures. In turn, the microscopy analysis by TEM reveals the formation of the ultrathin ceramic fibers with 500 nm in diameter. The influence of the irradiation time, temperature, and pH on the color removal efficiency is investigated. UV–vis spectral analysis is used to measure the photocatalytic activity of metal oxide composites. The optimal conditions for the efficient RhB dye degradation under visible‐light are found to be: irradiation time * t = 13.3 h; temperature * T = 42 °C, and *pH = 9.5. In these conditions, a color removal efficiency of 94.20% is observed under visible‐light irradiation. In addition, a photocatalytic test under UV‐light irradiation is performed revealing a pseudo‐first‐order rate constant of 0.0166 min −1 and a color removal efficiency of 99.35%.