Oxide-based catalysis: tailoring surface structures via organic ligands and related interfacial charge carrier for environmental remediation

Hierarchical nanostructures and the effects of ligands on their structure formation were investigated. Morphological analysis showed the change in the morphology from nanospindles to hollow hexagonal nanodisks with the change in ligands. Structural analysis exhibited the formation of both hexagonal ZnO and monoclinic CuO structures in the composition. The elemental composition confirms the presence of CuO and ZnO in the composition. An ultra-fast degradation was achieved for the nanocomposites. The ZnO/CuO composite with ethylenediamine showed the best activity by degrading 98.77% of the methylene blue dye in 36 min. A possible photocatalytic mechanism is proposed.