Synthesis of Lawsonia Inermis (henna) Carbon Supported CuO nanocomposite, Characterization and Photocatalytic Activity Studies

Abstract

For the first report, the synthesis of a henna carbon-supported CuO nanocomposite is disclosed. The co precipitation process is an excellent way to make pure CuO and C- CuO nanocomposites and it has a better photocatalytic degradation. FT-IR, P-XRD, FE-SEM, UV-DRS, and PL studies are used to assess the structural, optical, and morphological characteristics of the produced nanocomposites. The FE-SEM displays the composites' uniform distribution.

The FT-IR spectra is used to identified the CuO and C-CuO nanocomposite. According to XRD, cubic phase is present in the nanomaterials. The bandgap value of 1.81 for C-CuO and 2.46 eV for CuO, respectively, make these nanocomposites as strong semi-conductors. CuO depicts the cube-shaped, smooth-surfaced morphology, while the carbon is uniformly distributed throughout the CuO in the C-CuO nanocomposite has a rod shape. Carbon may introduce defects, excited carriers can lose their energy through these non-radiative pathways, resulting in a reduction in photoluminescence intensity. To measure the photocatalytic activity of the composites, methylene blue (MB) dye is used as a model pollutant. CuO and C-CuO catalysts' photodegradation capabilities rose to 80.79 and 92.53%, respectively. Therefore, the C-CuO combination works better than the pure CuO. Henna carbon is synthesized from henna leaves. The carbon effect is proposed as one potential mechanism along with the usual photocatalytic mechanism.