SYNTHESIS OF ZEOLITE SUPPORTED Cu2O-Ag3PO4-ZnO NANOCOMPOSITE FOR PHTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF METYLENE BLUE UNDER VISIBLE LIGHT

Abstract

Nano sized Cu2O-Ag3PO4-ZnO nanocomposite was prepared by precipitation method using different salt solution and solid state reaction of the as-synthesized nanocomposite with natural zeolite to produce zeolite supported Cu2O-Ag3PO4-ZnO fine particles. The structure of the composites was studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The result show that the average crystalline sizes of unsupported and supported nanocmposite become 46.63nm and 50.85nm respectively recorded. The rate of decolorization of organic dyes increases as the particle size decreases. This is because of increase in the specific surface area of a photocatalyst as the crystalline dimension decrease. Photocatalytic degradation activities of the nanocomposites under visible light irradiation have been evaluated for a model pollutant methylene blue (MB) dye solution. Natural zeolite supported Cu2O-Ag3PO4-ZnO nanocomposite photocatalyst exhibited a relatively higher efficiency on the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) to the extent of about 88.2%. The present work suggests on the possible use of natural zeiolite as a support for nanomaterials to enhance the reusability of the photocatalyst material.