Abstract
Zinc nitrate hexahydrate (Zn(NO3)2·6H2O) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) were dissolved in distilled water and stirred for 30 min. The resulting solution was sonicated by an ultrasonic wave for 45 min. This solution was washed with distilled water and ethanol after centrifugation; next, it was placed in an electric furnace at 200°C for 1 h under the flow of Ar gas to obtain zinc oxide nanoparticle. A zinc oxide nanoparticle-(C60) fullerene nanowhisker composite was synthesized using the zinc oxide nanoparticle solution, C60-saturated toluene, and isopropyl alcohol via the liquid-liquid interfacial precipitation method. The zinc oxide nanoparticle and zinc oxide nanoparticle-(C60) fullerene nanowhisker composite were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy, and they were used for the catalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) under ultraviolet (at 254 and 365 nm) and ultrasonic irradiation. In addition, the catalytic degradation of MO over the zinc oxide nanoparticle and zinc oxide nanoparticle-(C60) fullerene nanowhisker composite was evaluated using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy.
Keywords: zinc oxide nanoparticle-(C60) fullerene nanowhisker;methyl orange;ultraviolet;ultrasonic irradiation