Synthesis and Characterization of Crystalline Nano TiO2 and ZnO and their Effects on the Photodegradation of Indigo Carmine Dye
Badr A. El-sayed1, Ibrahim A. Ibrahim2, Walied A. A. Mohamed3, Mahmoud A. M. Ahmed4
1Badr A. El-sayed, Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt.
2Dr. Ibrahim A. Ibrahim, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt.

3Dr. Walied A. A. Mohamed, Department of Inorganic Chemistry, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt.
4Mahmoud A. M. Ahmed, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt.

Manuscript received on November 08, 2015. | Revised Manuscript received on November 18, 2015. | Manuscript published on November 30, 2015. | PP: 15-22 | Volume-2 Issue-12, November 2015. | Retrieval Number: L03541121215
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Abstract: TiO2 and ZnO as nanoparticles have been synthesized and characterized using powder X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The study of photocatalytic Activity using the synthesized TiO2 and ZnO in commercial and nano forms on the photodegradation of indigo carmine dye under UV irradiation has been carried out. The photodegradation was monitored by measuring the change of dye concentration as a function of irradiation time with power of UV lambs (254, 312 and 354 nm). The optimum of indigo carmine concentration was initially determined; the effects of different pH’s on the photodegradation of IC have been studied in the range of (3 – 13.5) under UV irradiation. Also pKa of the dye was determined by two methods. The photocatalytic effects of different amounts of the synthesized nano particles of TiO2 (28 nm) and ZnO (34 nm) on the photodegradation rates were of the first- order reaction, and mechanism of photodegradation of the dye was discussed. It is observed that the rate of photodegradation process increasing with the nano particles of the synthesized oxides TiO2 (28 nm) and ZnO (34 nm) comparable to their commercial oxides.
Keywords: Indigo carmine (IC), nano oxides, pKa and photocatalytic degradation.