Analysis of the structural, morphological, and optical properties of Selaginella lepidophylla-mediated ZnO semiconductor nanoparticles and their influence on the photocatalytic removal of Rhodamine B dye

• Published in: Journal of materials science. Materials in electronics Vol. 34; no. 17; p. 1330
• Main Authors: Silva, E., Vilchis-Nestor, A. R., De La Cruz, W., Regalado-Contreras, A., Castro-Beltran, A., Luque, P. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-06-2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chelating agents; Chelation; Chemistry and Materials Science; Discoloration; Dyes; Energy; Lattice vacancies; Materials Science; Microscopy; Morphology; Nanomaterials; Nanoparticles; Optical and Electronic Materials; Optical properties; Oxidation; Photocatalysis; Pollutants; Rhodamine; Semiconductors; Spectrum analysis; Structural analysis; Wurtzite; Zinc oxide
• ISSN: 0957-4522; 1573-482X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10854-023-10766-3

The present work reports the analysis of the morphology, structure, optical properties, and photocatalytic performance of
Selaginella lepidohylla
-mediated ZnO nanoparticles (NPs). The ZnO NPs were obtained using varying concentrations of
Selaginella lepidophylla
as a chelating agent. The morphological analysis confirmed spherical shape and sizes of 19.86–27.75 nm for the obtained ZnO. The structural analysis revealed a hexagonal wurtzite phase and high crystallinity. Additionally, bandgap values of 2.7 eV to 2.9 eV were calculated through analysis of the optical properties. Elemental analysis identified the main Zn, O and C peaks, as well as oxygen vacancies in the ZnO lattice. The UV photocatalytic performance of the ZnO NPs was evaluated through the discoloration of RhB as a model organic pollutant. The ZD4 sample demonstrated the best results with 99.7% dye removal after 180 min, showing excellent potential for other applications.