The Influence of Mechanochemical Synthesis Method on Photodegradability Characteristics of Hydroxyapatite/Zinc Oxide Composite

The ZnO/hydroxyapatite nanocomposite was prepared by attrition in a planetary mill from hydroxyapatite (HA) and ZnO nanopowders. The photocatalytic degradation of synthetic dye, methyl orange (MO), was evaluated under stirring and UV irradiations by measuring the spectroscopically UV-VIS absorbance of the solution in order to determine the remanent dye concentration. The samples CZH3 (75% ZnO) and CZH4 (25% ZnO) highlighted the best MO retention from aqueous solution by adsorption and photodegradation effects. The high absorbance of the proposed nanocomposites showed their potential to be used as photocatalysts for wastewater treatment to enable the retention of organic pollutants.