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Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dye by Sol–Gel-Synthesized CaCu3Ti4O12 Powder

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Abstract

Ultraviolet light-activated calcium copper titanate (CaCu3Ti4O12—abbreviated as CCTO) powder was successfully synthesized by a sol–gel synthesis route and characterized by different measurement techniques. The cubic crystalline structure of CCTO powder was verified by x-ray diffraction. The average particle size of the CCTO was found to be 109.3 ± 2.3 nm by field emission scanning electron microscopy which is in agreement with transmission electron microscopy analysis. The bandgap energy was assessed by optical reflectance spectroscopy and found to be 3.01 eV. The photocatalytic degradation of the CCTO powder was investigated under ultraviolet (UV) light illumination using rhodamine B (RhB) as a model organic pollutant. The RhB dye was degraded 52% within 40 min of UV irradiation. This proved the high photocatalytic performance of CCTO powder. This study shows that CCTO is a promising photocatalyst for wastewater treatment applications.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the research funding (RUI USM 1001/PBAHAN/8014095) from the Universiti Sains Malaysia.

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  1. All the authors contribute to this research equally.

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  1. School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300, Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia

    Mohsen Ahmadipour, Zainal Arifin Ahmad & Swee-Yong Pung

  2. School of Engineering, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, V1V 1V7, Canada

    Mohammad Arjmand

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Ahmadipour, M., Arjmand, M., Ahmad, Z.A. et al. Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dye by Sol–Gel-Synthesized CaCu3Ti4O12 Powder. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 29, 2006–2014 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-020-04712-1

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