Abstract

Synthesis, photocatalytic and antibacterial properties of metal oxide (ZnO, Co3O4 and MnO2) nanoparticles

Author(s): AR Anusa*

Oxides of metals (ZnO, Co3O4 and MnO2) have been prepared by hydrothermal method and structural information, phase, morphology, optical properties were characterized by XRD, EDAX, FESEM, TEM, UV-Visible absorption spectroscopy. The morphology of the synthesized ZnO nanoparticles was found to be spherical in shape and high crystalline quality with size in the range of 75 nm. The synthesized ZnO nanoparticles have promising optical properties with 2.7 eV of energy gap. The photocatalytic performance of metal oxide was measured with the degradation of methyl orange (MO) at room temperature under UV light irradiation. The experimental results indicated that the well crystalline ZnO nanoparticels exhibited a high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of MO with the apparent rate constant (k) of 4.47 x 102 min-1. A significant antibacterial activity against Gram positive .S aureus and Gram-negative E. coli shown by this catalyst.