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In situ synthesis of Al 2 O 3 ‐supported ZnCr 2 O 4 nanoparticles for application as an activated photocatalyst
Author(s) -
Tajizadegan Hamid,
Naghibi Sanaz,
Jamshidi Amin,
Torabi Omid,
Golabgir MohammadHossein
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
international journal of applied ceramic technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.4
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1744-7402
pISSN - 1546-542X
DOI - 10.1111/ijac.12623
Subject(s) - materials science , photocatalysis , absorbance , diffuse reflectance infrared fourier transform , scanning electron microscope , aqueous solution , nanoparticle , nanocomposite , catalysis , precipitation , specific surface area , adsorption , analytical chemistry (journal) , spectroscopy , desorption , band gap , nuclear chemistry , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , chemistry , composite material , organic chemistry , chromatography , physics , optoelectronics , meteorology , engineering , quantum mechanics
Zincochromite nanoparticles ( NP s) were precipitated on surfaces of the as‐prepared Al 2 O 3 micron‐sized particles by a heterogeneous precipitation technique using urea as a homogeneous precipitation agent. This procedure leads to decrease the pore diameter and increase the pore volume and specific surface area ( a s ), realizing the potential access to ZnCr 2 O 4 catalytic sites. Although the obtained band gap energy (E g ) of Al 2 O 3 ‐ZnCr 2 O 4 composite is about 2.3 eV (more than ZnCr 2 O 4 ), the absorbance is enhanced about 1.5 orders of magnitude. These characteristics make it an effective photocatalyst of inorganic dyes from an aqueous media. Dye removal performance of the nanocomposite powder is higher than that of pure ZnCr 2 O 4 , which is attributed to an increase in the photocatalytic sites and the absorbance intensity. It was believed that the surface area created from Al 2 O 3 support realized the potential access to ZnCr 2 O 4 catalytic sites. To confirm these assertions, X‐ray diffractometry ( XRD ), scanning electron microscopy ( SEM ), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy ( DRS ), and N 2 adsorption‐desorption analysis were applied.