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An Efficient Approach Towards the Photodegradation of Indigo Carmine by Introducing ZnO/CuO/Si Ternary Nanocomposite as Photocatalyst

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Abstract

The authors report a facile route for the large scale synthesis of CuO/ZnO/Si ternary system achieved by non-equilibrium synthesis using High Energy Ball Milling (HEBM) technique. The synthesized material was found highly efficient for the photo-degradation of a hazardous dye Indigo Carmine, a widely used dye in textile industries with major threats to our environment. The structural properties of the prepared material were evaluated using X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy, which revealed, that the optimization of milling duration plays a crucial role for the formation of such ternary system. UV–Vis-NIR spectroscopy yielded broadband absorption of light over the region 1100–350 nm. The photocatalytic activities of CuO/ZnO/Si ternary system were systematically explored by monitoring the fall in specific absorption peak intensity of the aqueous Indigo Carmine solution exposed under artificial light source.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge The Institution of Engineers (India) for financial support through the R&D project DR2013003.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, Howrah, West Bengal, 711103, India

    Arnab Dhara, Apurba Baral, Arijit Sinha & Nil Ratan Bandyopadhyay

  2. Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, Howrah, West Bengal, 711103, India

    Sumit Chabri

  3. Centre of Excellence for Green Energy and Sensor Systems, Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, Howrah, West Bengal, 711103, India

    Nillohit Mukherjee

Authors
  1. Arnab Dhara
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  2. Apurba Baral
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Correspondence to Nillohit Mukherjee.

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Dhara, A., Baral, A., Chabri, S. et al. An Efficient Approach Towards the Photodegradation of Indigo Carmine by Introducing ZnO/CuO/Si Ternary Nanocomposite as Photocatalyst. J. Inst. Eng. India Ser. D 98, 1–8 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40033-016-0111-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40033-016-0111-2

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