Synthesis, structural and photocatalytic properties of ZnO-CuO, ZnO-Graphene and ZnO-CuO-Graphene nanocomposites

Haroon Rashid; Ejaz Muhammad; Mehdi Hassan; Abdul Rauf; Arslan Bashir; Wajahat Ali; Tariq Jan; Ali Bahadur; Shahid Iqbal; Sajid Mahmood; Khalid M. Alotaibi

doi:10.1016/j.poly.2025.117471

Synthesis, structural and photocatalytic properties of ZnO-CuO, ZnO-Graphene and ZnO-CuO-Graphene nanocomposites

Haroon Rashid, Ejaz Muhammad, Mehdi Hassan, Abdul Rauf, Arslan Bashir, Wajahat Ali, Tariq Jan, Ali Bahadur, Shahid Iqbal, Sajid Mahmood, Khalid M. Alotaibi

CBI Green Chemicals and Energy Centre

Research output: Journal Publication › Article › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Industrial wastes particularly organic dyes has been a matter of great challenge in the rapid growing industrial technologies. To address this issue nanocomposites of ZnO-Graphene, ZnO-CuO and ZnO-CuO-graphene were efficiently developed via chemical co-precipitation method and inestigated its photocatalytic properties for efficient waste water treatment in the degradation of methylene blue (MB) as an indicator. These nanocomposites were fully characterized by numerous advanced characterization techniques i.e. X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV–visible spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) Spectroscopy, and Photoluminescence (PL). The SEM image of ZnO-CuO-Graphene nanocomposite revealed flower-like morphology while the presence of Zn, Cu, O, and C were confirmed by EDX spectroscopy. Low PL intensity of ZnO-CuO-Graphene nanocomposite indicates low electron-hole recombination indicating it is a potential photocatalyst for photocatalysis application. Among all nanocomposites, ZnO-CuO-Graphene nanocomposite possesses greater photocatalytic activity after 180 min while exposed to solar light i.e. 81 % degradation of MB dye copared to 74 % and 77 % degradation by ZnO-G and ZnO-CuO nancomposites respectively. The incremental photocatalytic efficiency of the ZnO-CuO-Graphene nanocomposite is predominantly due to the larger active surface area resulting from the incorporation of Graphene.

Original language	English
Article number	117471
Journal	Polyhedron
Volume	273
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poly.2025.117471
Publication status	Published - 1 May 2025

Keywords

Methylene blue
Nanocomposites
Nanomaterials
Spatial charge separation
ZnO

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
Inorganic Chemistry
Materials Chemistry

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title = "Synthesis, structural and photocatalytic properties of ZnO-CuO, ZnO-Graphene and ZnO-CuO-Graphene nanocomposites",

abstract = "Industrial wastes particularly organic dyes has been a matter of great challenge in the rapid growing industrial technologies. To address this issue nanocomposites of ZnO-Graphene, ZnO-CuO and ZnO-CuO-graphene were efficiently developed via chemical co-precipitation method and inestigated its photocatalytic properties for efficient waste water treatment in the degradation of methylene blue (MB) as an indicator. These nanocomposites were fully characterized by numerous advanced characterization techniques i.e. X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV–visible spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) Spectroscopy, and Photoluminescence (PL). The SEM image of ZnO-CuO-Graphene nanocomposite revealed flower-like morphology while the presence of Zn, Cu, O, and C were confirmed by EDX spectroscopy. Low PL intensity of ZnO-CuO-Graphene nanocomposite indicates low electron-hole recombination indicating it is a potential photocatalyst for photocatalysis application. Among all nanocomposites, ZnO-CuO-Graphene nanocomposite possesses greater photocatalytic activity after 180 min while exposed to solar light i.e. 81 % degradation of MB dye copared to 74 % and 77 % degradation by ZnO-G and ZnO-CuO nancomposites respectively. The incremental photocatalytic efficiency of the ZnO-CuO-Graphene nanocomposite is predominantly due to the larger active surface area resulting from the incorporation of Graphene.",

keywords = "Methylene blue, Nanocomposites, Nanomaterials, Spatial charge separation, ZnO",

author = "Haroon Rashid and Ejaz Muhammad and Mehdi Hassan and Abdul Rauf and Arslan Bashir and Wajahat Ali and Tariq Jan and Ali Bahadur and Shahid Iqbal and Sajid Mahmood and Alotaibi, {Khalid M.}",

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year = "2025",

month = may,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1016/j.poly.2025.117471",

language = "English",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Synthesis, structural and photocatalytic properties of ZnO-CuO, ZnO-Graphene and ZnO-CuO-Graphene nanocomposites

AU - Rashid, Haroon

AU - Muhammad, Ejaz

AU - Hassan, Mehdi

AU - Rauf, Abdul

AU - Bashir, Arslan

AU - Ali, Wajahat

AU - Jan, Tariq

AU - Bahadur, Ali

AU - Iqbal, Shahid

AU - Mahmood, Sajid

AU - Alotaibi, Khalid M.

PY - 2025/5/1

Y1 - 2025/5/1

N2 - Industrial wastes particularly organic dyes has been a matter of great challenge in the rapid growing industrial technologies. To address this issue nanocomposites of ZnO-Graphene, ZnO-CuO and ZnO-CuO-graphene were efficiently developed via chemical co-precipitation method and inestigated its photocatalytic properties for efficient waste water treatment in the degradation of methylene blue (MB) as an indicator. These nanocomposites were fully characterized by numerous advanced characterization techniques i.e. X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV–visible spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) Spectroscopy, and Photoluminescence (PL). The SEM image of ZnO-CuO-Graphene nanocomposite revealed flower-like morphology while the presence of Zn, Cu, O, and C were confirmed by EDX spectroscopy. Low PL intensity of ZnO-CuO-Graphene nanocomposite indicates low electron-hole recombination indicating it is a potential photocatalyst for photocatalysis application. Among all nanocomposites, ZnO-CuO-Graphene nanocomposite possesses greater photocatalytic activity after 180 min while exposed to solar light i.e. 81 % degradation of MB dye copared to 74 % and 77 % degradation by ZnO-G and ZnO-CuO nancomposites respectively. The incremental photocatalytic efficiency of the ZnO-CuO-Graphene nanocomposite is predominantly due to the larger active surface area resulting from the incorporation of Graphene.

AB - Industrial wastes particularly organic dyes has been a matter of great challenge in the rapid growing industrial technologies. To address this issue nanocomposites of ZnO-Graphene, ZnO-CuO and ZnO-CuO-graphene were efficiently developed via chemical co-precipitation method and inestigated its photocatalytic properties for efficient waste water treatment in the degradation of methylene blue (MB) as an indicator. These nanocomposites were fully characterized by numerous advanced characterization techniques i.e. X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV–visible spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) Spectroscopy, and Photoluminescence (PL). The SEM image of ZnO-CuO-Graphene nanocomposite revealed flower-like morphology while the presence of Zn, Cu, O, and C were confirmed by EDX spectroscopy. Low PL intensity of ZnO-CuO-Graphene nanocomposite indicates low electron-hole recombination indicating it is a potential photocatalyst for photocatalysis application. Among all nanocomposites, ZnO-CuO-Graphene nanocomposite possesses greater photocatalytic activity after 180 min while exposed to solar light i.e. 81 % degradation of MB dye copared to 74 % and 77 % degradation by ZnO-G and ZnO-CuO nancomposites respectively. The incremental photocatalytic efficiency of the ZnO-CuO-Graphene nanocomposite is predominantly due to the larger active surface area resulting from the incorporation of Graphene.

KW - Methylene blue

KW - Nanocomposites

KW - Nanomaterials

KW - Spatial charge separation

KW - ZnO

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DO - 10.1016/j.poly.2025.117471

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85219091888

SN - 0277-5387

VL - 273

JO - Polyhedron

JF - Polyhedron

M1 - 117471

ER -

Synthesis, structural and photocatalytic properties of ZnO-CuO, ZnO-Graphene and ZnO-CuO-Graphene nanocomposites

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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