Synthesis of ZnO Nanoparticles by the Sol-Gel Protein Route: A Viable and Efficient Method for Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue and Ibuprofen

The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye and ibuprofen drug was studied in the presence of zinc oxide, synthetized by the protein sol-gel route. The catalyst, calcined at 1000 ºC, presented a tendentious morphology to filaments characteristic of ZnO crystalline, characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and confirmed by the presence of Zn energy band in X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS). The result of ultraviolet (UV) light photodegradation of this work is comparable to others that made use of more complex routes, considering the degradation of 97% of methylene blue dye solution and the solution of the ibuprofen drug reached 60% of degradation after 1 h of light incidence. In this research, it is possible to report good degradation results, and the research differential is a material made with a simple and less aggressive route, capable of generating a stable and efficient material.

本研究以蛋白质溶胶-凝胶法合成的氧化锌为催化剂，探究了其对亚甲基蓝染料与布洛芬药物的光催化降解性能。该催化剂经1000℃煅烧后，呈现出氧化锌晶体特有的丝状倾向形貌；通过X射线衍射（X-ray diffraction, XRD）对其进行表征，并借助X射线光电子能谱（X-ray photoelectron spectrometer, XPS）检测到锌的特征能带，验证了其物相结构。本研究的紫外光（ultraviolet, UV）降解效果可与采用更复杂制备路线的同类研究相媲美：光照1小时后，亚甲基蓝染料溶液的降解率达97%，布洛芬药物溶液的降解率达60%。本研究不仅取得了优异的降解效果，其创新之处在于采用简便且低腐蚀性的制备路线，即可获得稳定高效的催化材料。