Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences Vol 23 No 3 (2019): 462 - 471

DOI: 10.17576/mjas-2019-2303-10

 

 

 

SYNTHESIS OF MESOPOROUS NANOPARTICLES VIA MICROWAVE-ASSISTED METHOD FOR PHOTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF PHENOL DERIVATIVES

 

(Sintesis Nanopartikel Bermesoliang Melalui Kaedah Bantuan-Gelombang Mikro untuk Degradasi Fotomangkin daripada Terbitan Fenol)

 

Nur Farhana Jaafar¹*, Nor Amira Marfur¹, Nurfatehah Wahyuny Che Jusoh², Yuki Nagao³, Nur Hidayahtul Nazirah Kamarudin^4,5, Rohayu Jusoh⁶, Mohammad Anwar Mohamed Iqbal¹

 

¹School of Chemical Sciences,

 Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM Penang, Malaysia

²Department of Chemical Process Engineering, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT),

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Sultan Yahya Petra, 54100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

³School of Materials Science,

Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan

⁴Research Center for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO),

⁵Chemical Engineering Programme, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment,

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

⁶Faculty of Chemical and Natural Resources Engineering,

Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Lebuhraya Tun Razak, 26300 Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia

 

*Corresponding author:  nurfarhana@usm.my

 

 

Received: 14 January 2019; Accepted: 26 April 2019

 

 

Abstract

Mesoporous transition metal oxides have gained attention widely since they possess both optical and electronic properties of transition metal oxides especially for photocatalytic degradation application. In this research work, mesoporous titania nanoparticles (MTN) and mesoporous zinc oxide nanoparticles (MZN) were successfully synthesized using microwave (MW)-assisted method to degrade phenol derivatives under visible light irradiation. The microwave sintering effect on the surface of these modified structures was studied to relate with their photocatalytic performance. The characterization results indicated that MW-assisted method was mainly contributed in generating Ti³⁺ site defects (TSD) and oxygen vacancies (OV) in MTN while for MZN contained only OV as one of the strategies in light-absorption modification for TiO₂ and ZnO to enhance their photoactivity. MTN also showed the degradation of 2-chlorophenol was up to 97% while degradation of phenol by MZN was up to 87%.

 

Keywords:  mesoporous nanoparticles, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, microwave-assisted, photocatalytic

 

Abstrak

Logam oksida peralihan bermesoliang telah mendapat perhatian secara meluas kerana mereka mempunyai kedua-dua sifat optik dan elektronik bagi oksida logam peralihan terutamanya untuk aplikasi degradasi fotomangkin. Dalam kajian ini, nanopartikel titania bermesoliang (MTN) dan nanopartikel zink oksida bermesoliang (MZN) telah berjaya disintesis menggunakan kaedah bantuan-gelombang mikro (MW) untuk mendegradasi terbitan fenol di bawah sinaran cahaya nampak. Kesan pensinteran gelombang mikro pada permukaan struktur yang diubahsuai telah dikaji untuk dikaitkan dengan prestasi fotomangkin mereka. Keputusan pencirian menunjukkan bahawa kaedah bantuan-MW merupakan penyumbang utama dalam pembentukan tapak Ti³⁺ cacat (TSD) dan kekosongan oksigen permukaan (OV) dalam MTN manakala bagi MZN hanya mengandungi OV sebagai salah satu strategi untuk pengubahsuaian penyerapan-cahaya bagi TiO₂ and ZnO untuk meningkatkan fotoaktiviti mereka. MTN juga menunjukkan degradasi 2-klorofenol sehingga 97% manakala degradasi fenol oleh MZN sehingga 87%.

 

Kata kunci:  nanopartikel bermesoliang, titanium dioksida, zink oksida, bantuan-gelombang mikro, fotomangkin

 

References

1.       Aba-Guevara, C. G., Medina-Ramírez, I. E., Hernández-Ramírez, A., Jáuregui-Rincón, J., Lozano-Álvarez, J. A. and Rodríguez-López, J. L. (2017). Comparison of two synthesis methods on the preparation of Fe, N-Co-doped TiO₂ materials for degradation of pharmaceutical compounds under visible light. Ceramics International, 43(6): 5068-5079.

2.       Reinosa, J. J., Docio, C. M. Á., Ramírez, V. Z. and Lozano, J. F. F. (2018). Hierarchical nano ZnO-micro TiO₂ composites: High UV protection yield lowering photodegradation in sunscreens. Ceramics International, 44(3): 2827-2834.

3.       Zhu, M., Chen, L., Gong, H., Zi, M. and Cao, B. (2014). A novel TiO₂ nanorod/nanoparticle composite architecture to improve the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells. Ceramics International, 40(1): 2337-2342.

4.       Baskar, G. and Soumiya, S. (2016). Production of biodiesel from castor oil using iron(II) doped zinc oxide nanocatalyst. Renewable Energy, 98: 101-107.

5.       Khatami, M., Alijani, H. Q., Heli, H. and Sharifi, I. (2018). Rectangular shaped zinc oxide nanoparticles: Green synthesis by Stevia and its biomedical efficiency. Ceramics International, 44: 15596-15602.

6.       Prasankumar, T., Aazem, V.I., Raghavan, P., Ananth, K.P., Biradar, S., Ilangovan, R. and Jose, S. (2017). Microwave assisted synthesis of 3D network of Mn/Zn bimetallic oxide-high performance electrodes for supercapacitors. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 695: 2835-2843.

7.       Mirzaei, A., Yerushalmi, L., Chen, Z., Haghighat, F. and Guo, J. (2018). Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of sulfamethoxazole by zinc oxide photocatalyst in the presence of fluoride ions: Optimization of parameters and toxicological evaluation. Water Research, 132: 241-251.

8.       Li, F. B. and Li, X. Z. (2002). The enhancement of photodegradation efficiency using Pt–TiO₂ catalyst. Chemosphere, 48(10): 1103-1111.

9.       Houshmand, A., Daud, W. M. A. W. and Shafeeyan, M. S. (2011). Tailoring the surface chemistry of activated carbon by nitric acid: study using response surface method. Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan, 84(11): 1251-1260.

10.    Khan, M. M., Lee, J. and Cho, M. H. (2014). Au@TiO₂ nanocomposites for the catalytic degradation of methyl orange and methylene blue: An electron relay effect. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 20(4): 1584-1590.

11.    Ahmad, M., Ahmed, E., Hong, Z. L., Jiao, X. L., Abbas, T. and Khalid, N. R. (2013). Enhancement in visible light-responsive photocatalytic activity by embedding Cu-doped ZnO nanoparticles on multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Applied Surface Science, 285: 702-712.

12.    Pouran, S. R., Bayrami, A., Aziz, A. A., Daud, W. M. A. W. and Shafeeyan, M. S. (2016). Ultrasound and UV assisted Fenton treatment of recalcitrant wastewaters using transition metal-substituted-magnetite nanoparticles. Journal of Molecular Liquids, 222: 1076-1084.

13.    Zheng, X., Li, D., Li, X., Chen, J., Cao, C., Fang, J., Wang, J., He, Y. and Zheng, Y. (2015). Construction of ZnO/TiO₂ photonic crystal heterostructures for enhanced photocatalytic properties. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 168: 408-415.

14.    Faisal, M., Bouzid, H., Harraz, F. A., Ismail, A. A., Al-Sayari, S. A. and Al-Assiri, M. S. (2015). Mesoporous Ag/ZnO multilayer films prepared by repeated spin-coating for enhancing its photonic efficiencies. Surface and Coatings Technology, 263: 44-53.

15.    Anas, S., Rahul, S., Babitha, K. B., Mangalaraja, R. V. and Ananthakumar, S. (2015). Microwave accelerated synthesis of zinc oxide nanoplates and their enhanced photocatalytic activity under UV and solar illuminations. Applied Surface Science, 355: 98-103.

16.    Jaafar, N. F. and Jalil, A. A. (2018). Photocatalytic degradation of phenol derivatives over silver supported on mesoporous titania nanoparticles. Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences, 22(5): 807-816.

17.    Kajbafvala, A., Zanganeh, S., Kajbafvala, E., Zargar, H. R., Bayati, M. R. and Sadrnezhaad, S. K. (2010). Microwave-assisted synthesis of narcis-like zinc oxide nanostructures. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 497 (1-2): 325-329.

18.    Tripathy, N., Ahmad, R., Kuk, H., Hahn, Y. B. and Khang, G. (2016). Mesoporous ZnO nanoclusters as an ultra-active photocatalyst. Ceramics International, 42(8): 9519-9526.

19.    Jaafar, N. F., Jalil, A. A., Triwahyono, S. and Shamsuddin, N. (2015). New insights into self-modification of mesoporous titania nanoparticles for enhanced photoactivity: Effect of microwave power density on formation of oxygen vacancies and Ti³⁺ defects. RSC Advances, 5(110): 90991-91000.

20.    Thostenson, E. T. and Chou, T. W. (1999). Microwave processing: fundamentals and applications. Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 30(9): 1055-1071.

21.    Hoang, S., Berglund, S. P., Hahn, N. T., Bard, A. J. and Mullins, C. B. (2012). Enhancing visible light photo-oxidation of water with TiO₂ nanowire arrays via cotreatment with H₂ and NH₃: Synergistic effects between Ti³⁺ and N. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 134(8): 3659-3662.

22.    Zhang, Z. K., Bai, M. L., Guo, D. Z., Hou, S. M. and Zhang, G. M. (2011). Plasma-electrolysis synthesis of TiO₂ nano/microspheres with optical absorption extended into the infra-red region. Chemical Communications, 47(29): 8439-8441.

23.    Yuan, Z., Xiao-Xuan, W., Lv, H. and Wen-Chen, Z. (2007). EPR parameters and defect structures of the off-center Ti³⁺ ion on the Sr²⁺ site in neutron-irradiated SrTiO₃ crystal. Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids, 68(9): 1652-1655.

24.    Bromiley, G. D. and Shiryaev, A. A. (2006). Neutron irradiation and post-irradiation annealing of rutile (TiO_2−x): effect on hydrogen incorporation and optical absorption. Physics and Chemistry of Minerals, 33(6): 426-434.

25.    Suwarnkar, M. B., Dhabbe, R. S., Kadam, A. N. and Garadkar, K. M. (2014). Enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ag doped TiO₂ nanoparticles synthesized by a microwave assisted method. Ceramics International, 40(4): 5489-5496.

26.    Zhou, H., Tan, X., Huang, J. and Chen, X. (2017). Sintering behavior, phase evolution and microwave dielectric properties of thermally stable Li₂O-3MgO-mTiO₂ ceramics (1≤m≤6). Ceramics International, 43(4): 3688-3692.

27.    Wang, W., Bai, W., Shen, B. and Zhai, J. (2015). Microwave dielectric properties of low temperature sintered ZnWO₄-TiO₂ composite ceramics. Ceramics International, 41: S435-S440.

28.    Kamarudin, N. H. N., Jalil, A. A., Triwahyono, S., Artika, V., Salleh, N. F. M., Karim, A. H., Jaafar, N. F., Sazegar, M. R., Mukti, R. R., Hameed, B. H. and Johari, A. (2014). Variation of the crystal growth of mesoporous silica nanoparticles and the evaluation to ibuprofen loading and release. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 421: 6-13.

29.    Komarneni, S., Rajha, R. K. and Katsuki, H. (1999). Microwave-hydrothermal processing of titanium dioxide. Materials Chemistry and Physics, 61(1): 50-54.

30.    Shi, M., Kang, L. and Jiang, Y. (2014). Microwave-assisted synthesis of mesoporous tungsten carbide/carbon for fuel cell applications. Catalysis Letters, 144(2): 278-284.

31.    Clark, D. E., Folz, D. C. and West, J. K. (2000). Processing materials with microwave energy. Materials Science and Engineering: A, 287(2): 153-158.

32.    Khaki, M. R. D., Shafeeyan, M. S., Raman, A. A. A. and Daud, W. M. A. W. (2017). Application of doped photocatalysts for organic pollutant degradation-A review. Journal of Environmental Management, 198: 78-94.

33.    Antonopoulou, M., Evgenidou, E., Lambropoulou, D. and Konstantinou, I. (2014). A review on advanced oxidation processes for the removal of taste and odor compounds from aqueous media. Water Research, 53: 215-234.

34.    Oturan, M. A. and Aaron, J. J. (2014). Advanced oxidation processes in water/wastewater treatment: principles and applications. A review. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 44(23): 2577-2641.

35.    Bokare, A. D. and Choi, W. (2014). Review of iron-free Fenton-like systems for activating H₂O₂ in advanced oxidation processes. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 275: 121-135.

36.    Yuan, S., Sheng, Q., Zhang, J., Yamashita, H. and He, D. (2008). Synthesis of thermally stable mesoporous TiO₂ and investigation of its photocatalytic activity. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 110(2-3): 501-507.

37.    Khan, M. M., Ansari, S. A., Pradhan, D., Ansari, M. O., Lee, J. and Cho, M. H. (2014). Band gap engineered TiO₂ nanoparticles for visible light induced photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic studies. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2(3): 637-644.

38.    Huang, C.N., Bow, J.S., Zheng, Y., Chen, S.Y., Ho, N. and Shen, P. (2010). Nonstoichiometric titanium oxides via pulsed laser ablation in water. Nanoscale research letters, 5(6): 972-785.

39.    Naeem, M., Hasanain, S. K., Kobayashi, M., Ishida, Y., Fujimori, A., Buzby, S. and Shah, S. I. (2006). Effect of reducing atmosphere on the magnetism of Zn_1−xCo_xO (0≤x≤0.10) nanoparticles. Nanotechnology, 17(10): 2675-2680.

40.    Bazant, P., Kuritka, I., Munster, L. and Kalina, L. (2015). Microwave solvothermal decoration of the cellulose surface by nanostructured hybrid Ag/ZnO particles: A joint XPS, XRD and SEM study. Cellulose, 22(2): 1275-1293.

41.    Hsieh, P. T., Chen, Y. C., Kao, K. S. and Wang, C. M. (2008). Luminescence mechanism of ZnO thin film investigated by XPS measurement. Applied Physics A, 90(2): 317-321.

42.    Katoch, A., Choi, S.W., Kim, H. W. and Kim, S. S. (2015). Highly sensitive and selective H₂ sensing by ZnO nanofibers and the underlying sensing mechanism. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 286: 229-235.

43.    Wang, J., Wang, Z., Huang, B., Ma, Y., Liu, Y., Qin, X., Zhang, X. and Dai, Y. (2012). Oxygen vacancy induced band-gap narrowing and enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity of ZnO. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 4(8): 4024-4030.