TiO2@ZnO nanocomposite: bifunctional material for solid phase extraction of U(VI) and Th(IV) and photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminant

A bifunctional TiO 2 @ZnO nanorods hybrid material was synthesized via one-step hydrothermal synthesis and studied as an adsorbent for SPE of U(VI) and Th(IV) and as a photocatalyst for the photocatalytic removal of methylene blue (MB). The formation of TiO 2 @ZnO hybrid composite was confirmed by XRD, Raman, SEM, SEM–EDX and SEM-Mapping analysis. After determining the optimum values of the analytical parameters affecting the recovery of the analytes, the developed TiO 2 @ZnO hybrid NPs-SPE method was applied to natural waters with a high recovery efficiency (94–97%). The accuracy of the method was also verified by using CRM-TMDA 62.2 and TM-25.3 standards. Photocatalytic properties of the fabricated nanocomposite were investigated by degrading of MB under UV light. The results indicated that the synthesized TiO 2 @ZnO material can be used as a promising adsorbent/photocatalyst candidate for the adsorption of U(VI) and Th(IV) analytes in waters as well as the photocatalysis degradation of MB dyestuff.