Ag and Zn doped TiO2 nano-catalyst synthesis via a facile green route and their catalytic activity for the remediation of dyes

Abstract

A facile green synthesis route was employed for the fabrication of Ag–Zn doped TiO2 nano-catalyst and utilized for the remediation of dyes. Nicotiana tabacum leaves extract was used to prepare the Ag–Zn doped TiO2 nano-catalyst by utilizing TiO2 as precursor and AgNO3, ZnNO3 as doping agents. A strong UV–Vis spectra peak confirmed the Ag–Zn doped TiO2 formation. Furior transformed infrared spectroscopy analysis revealed the role of phenolics in the N. tabacum leaves extract for the formation of Ag–Zn-doped TiO2 nano-catalyst. Moreover, Ag–Zn doped TiO2 nano-catalyst formation was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis, which reveals the cubic and tetragonal geometries with average size of 5.66 nm. The scanning electron microscopy analysis also confirmed the poly-morphological structure of prepared Ag–Zn doped TiO2 nano-catalyst. The nano-catalyst was used for the remediation of dyes and conditions were optimized for maximum removal of dyes using NaBH4 reducing agent. The catalytic activity results revealed that Ag–Zn doped TiO2 showed promising features versus individual counterparts, which is correlated with reduced bandgap of doped nano-catalyst. The N. tabacum leaves extract efficiently stabilized Ag–Zn doped TiO2 nano-catalyst that exhibited remarkable catalytic activity and have potential to treat the dyes in wastewater.

Keywords

• Green synthesis
• Nicotiana tabacum
• Ag and Zn doping
• Titanium dioxide
• Catalytic activity
• Textile dyes remediation