Structural and Morphological Studies of V[sub.2]O[sub.5]/MWCNTs and ZrO[sub.2]/MWCNTs Composites as Photocatalysts

The present study outlines the synthesis of transition metal oxide- (TMO-) multiwall carbon nanotubes- (MWCNTs-) based composites for photocatalytic application. MWCNTs were functionalized/purified by treating with H[sub.2]SO[sub.4] and HNO[sub.3] to improve their dispersion in water. The TMOs (ZrO[sub.2], V[sub.2]O[sub.5]) were decorated on MWCNTs by the hydrothermal method to yield V[sub.2]O[sub.5]/MWCNTs and ZrO[sub.2]/MWCNTs composites. Subsequently, these composites were characterized for their structural/morphological studies by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Photocatalytic activities of TMO/MWCNTs composites were investigated by degradation phenomenon of methylene blue (MB) dye in aqueous solution. It was observed that the prepared composites best performed in the presence of H[sub.2]O[sub.2] under ultraviolet irradiation. The maximum observed degradation efficiencies for ZrO[sub.2]/MWCNTs and V[sub.2]O[sub.5]/MWCNTs were 49% and 96%, respectively.