Synthesis of Zinc-Titanium Oxide Nanocomposites by Plasma Jet and Its Application to Photocatalyst

Abstract

In order to synthesize the zinc-titanium (Zn-Ti) oxide nanocomposites using an atmospheric soft plasma jet, in this study mixtures of Zn and Ti precursors such as zinc nitrate and titanium butoxide were first prepared with different molar ratios; the mixed precursors then stirred at 700 rpm for two hours with atmospheric plasma, while maintaining a temperature of 25 °C. All the synthesized Zn-Ti oxide nanocomposites were post-heat-treated at 600 °C for six hours in an electrical furnace. The morphology, particle shape and size, crystal structure, oxidation state, and composition ratio were analyzed using FE-SEM, XRD, SEM-EDS, and Raman spectroscopy. BET was measured to calculate the specific surface area of the Zn-Ti oxide nanocomposites. Photocatalytic activity tests were performed for an application study, with 10 mL of 10 ppm methylene blue dye. UV-visible spectroscopy was performed on five different samples in order to analyze the changes of photocatalytic reactions. When the composition ratio of Zn/Ti was 2/1, maximum photocatalytic efficiency was obtained. We also carried out a theoretical kinetic study.

Keywords

• metal oxide
• nanocomposite
• plasma jet
• photocatalyst
• methylene blue dye