Abstract
Transition metal oxides like ZnO nanostructures are pivotal in various scientific and technological fields due to their chemical stability, high electrochemical coupling efficiency, and broad radiation absorption spectrum. This study offers an in-depth examination of ZnO nanostructures synthesized via the green route using Piper Longum L, emphasizing their photocatalytic efficacy in degrading organic pollutants such as Sulphanilamide and Chromium. The ZnO nanostructures with a rod-like morphology exhibited an average crystallite size of 26 nm and an optical bandgap of 2.8 eV. Solid state structure of ZnO was investigated by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Zinc in the synthesized organo zinc complex and zinc oxide was estimated to 324.325 and 133.02 ppm, respectively. The saturation magnetization obtained from Superconducting Quantum Interference Device-Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (SQUID-VSM) for organo zinc complex and ZnO is 2.1 × 10-3 and 1.7 × 10-3 emu/g, respectively. These nanostructures achieved 99 and 93 % degradation of chromium (VI) ions present in solutions of two different concentrations in about 30 and 80 min, respectively, under UV and visible radiation, a remarkable achievement. Almost the same efficiency was maintained during three consecutive runs and then deactivation of the catalyst was observed. Additionally, a rapid 84 % degradation of Sulphanilamide was observed in 42 min, underscoring the potential of ZnO nanostructures as efficient photocatalysts for environmental remediation.