Potential of Copper-Zinc Oxide nanocomposite for photocatalytic degradation of congo red dye

Congo red (CR) is a toxic azo dye with a complex structure which represents a serious ecotoxicological hazards for aquatic bodies. The present study was aimed to synthesis of metal oxide nanoparticles by applying novel approaches and explore their role in degradation and decolourization of synthetic dye i.e. CR. Zinc oxide (ZnO) and zinc-copper oxides (ZnO/CuO) composite were prepared by the modest chemical co-precipitation process through calcined over 400 °C for 4 h. The acquired materials were characterized by XRD, EDX, SEM, HRTEM, BET, and UV-Visible spectrophotometer. Further, the optimized materials were opted for photodegradation of toxic CR under irradiation of visible light. The experiment demonstrated that ZnO and ZnO/CuO composite can degrade 25% and 95% of CR dye, respectively. ZnO/CuO composite showed better photocatalytic decolorization of CR dye and followed first order kinetics. The result of this study will be helpful in understanding the mechanism of CR degradation through composite materials and help in the development of an efficient technique for degradation and decolourization of CR containing industrial wastewater.