Assessment of the Performance of ZnO Nanosheets in Organic Pollutant Degradation via Hydrothermal Synthesis

The purpose of this research is to look into the production of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using an efficient and surfactant-free hydrothermal process for use as a photocatalytic agent in the purification of organic polluted water. The structural characteristics, optical properties, and photocatalytic performance of ZnO NPs have all been studied. The contamination of water sources with organic pollutants poses a significant threat to both the environment and public health. Organic pollutants are compounds derived from human activities, such as industrial processes, agriculture, and domestic waste, and they can have detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystems and the quality of drinking water. X-Ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy were used as analytical and characterization techniques. The ZnO NPs with hexagonal structure and intriguing applicable properties were generated by changing the processing duration at a low treatment temperature of 75 °C. The broadening of the XRD peaks were decreased by increasing the reaction time; indicating a crystallinity enhancement of ZnO NPs. Meanwhile, the crystallite size and energy band gap are reaction time-dependent, which in turn affects the photocatalytic performance. Under UV irradiation, ZnO NPs have a photocatalytic breakdown efficiency of 93% for methyl orange (MO) dye. The bandgap of ZnO NPs (3.38 eV) is excellent for UV light absorption and rapid production of charge carriers, resulting in photooxidation processes that degrade the organic dye.