Open AccessPulicaria undulata Extract-Mediated Eco-Friendly Preparation of TiO2 Nanoparticles for Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue and Methyl Orange
Author(s) -
Khaleel Al-hamoud,
Mohammed Rafi Shaik,
Merajuddin Khan,
Hamad Z. Alkhathlan,
Syed Farooq Adil,
Mufsir Kuniyil,
Mohamed E. Assal,
Abdulrahman Al–Warthan,
Muhammad Nawaz Tahir,
Shams Tabrez Khan,
Ahmad A. Mousa
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
acs omega
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.779
H-Index - 40
ISSN - 2470-1343
DOI - 10.1021/acsomega.1c05090
Subject(s) - photocatalysis , methyl orange , anatase , nanomaterials , materials science , titanium dioxide , rutile , methylene blue , brilliant green , nanoparticle , nuclear chemistry , aqueous solution , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , chemistry , organic chemistry , catalysis , composite material , engineering
Eco-friendly approaches for the preparation of nanomaterials have recently attracted considerable attention of scientific community due to rising environmental distresses. The aim of the current study is to prepare titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) nanoparticles (NPs) using an eco-friendly approach and investigate their performance for the photocatalytic degradation of hazardous organic dyes. For this, TiO 2 NPs were prepared by using the aqueous extract of the Pulicaria undulata (L.) plant in a single step at room temperature. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy established the presence of both titanium and oxygen in the sample. X-ray diffraction revealed the formation of crystalline, anatase-phase TiO 2 NPs. On the other hand, transmission election microscopy confirmed the formation of spherical shaped NPs. The presence of residual phytomolecules as capping/stabilization agents is confirmed by UV-vis analysis and Fourier-transform Infrared spectroscopy. Indeed, in the presence of P. undulata , the anatase phase of TiO 2 is stabilized at a significantly lower temperature (100 °C) without using any external stabilizing agent. The green synthesized TiO 2 NPs were used to investigate their potential for the photocatalytic degradation of hazardous organic dyes including methylene blue and methyl orange under UV-visible light irradiation. Due to the small size and high dispersion of NPs, almost complete degradation (∼95%) was achieved in a short period of time (between 1 and 2 h). No significant difference in the photocatalytic activity of the TiO 2 NPs was observed even after repeated use (three times) of the photocatalyst. Overall, the green synthesized TiO 2 NPs exhibited considerable potential for fast and eco-friendly removal of harmful organic dyes.