POLYSACCHARIDE-MEDIATED SYNTHESIS OF COPPER OXIDE NANOPARTICLES FOR ENHANCED PHOTODEGRADATION OF METHYL ORANGE AND METHYLENE BLUE

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) were synthesized using mucilage from the seeds of Mimosa pudica. Fully characterized CuO NPs using different spectroscopic techniques, such as UV-Vis, XRD, SEM, and FTIR, were evaluated as catalysts for the photodegradation of methyl orange and methylene blue. The UV-Vis analysis displayed an intense surface plasmon resonance at 273 nm, indicating the formation of CuO NPs. The functional groups in the mucilage and synthesized CuO NPs were examined by FTIR spectroscopy, and a peak at 475 cm-1 established the successful synthesis of CuO NPs. The morphology of the CuO NPs was observed by SEM analysis, revealing spherical CuO NPs embedded in the mucilage. The crystalline nature of CuO NPs was confirmed by XRD analysis, which showed a mean crystallite size of 29 nm. Furthermore, following pseudo-first-order kinetics, CuO NPs degraded methylene blue (89.47%) more effectively than methyl orange (79.25%) under sunlight. The reusability of CuO NPs was studied, and, after 4 cycles, CuO NPs indicated excellent photocatalytic performance with minor decrease in efficiency.