Synthesis of N-ZnO/Graphene Oxide Photocatalytic Nanocomposite for Green Methylene Blue Treatment in Water

The photocatalyst nanocomposite N-ZnO/Graphene oxide was synthesized by a precipitation method combined with ultrasound and then calcined at 300°C. The structural characteristics and properties of the catalyst were analyzed and evaluated through techniques such as Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that the catalyst has a hexagonal Wurtzite crystal structure of ZnO, with an average particle size ranging from 21.3 to 82.2 nm and an isoelectric point pHPZC of approximately 6.83. The photocatalytic activity of the N-ZnO/GO nanocomposite in the degradation of methylene blue (MB) in water, as well as the factors affecting the degradation process such as pH, catalyst concentration, MB concentration, light intensity, and reaction time, were investigated. The results indicated that the N-ZnO/GO nanocomposite catalyst has high stability and can be reused multiple times. The photocatalytic efficiency for MB degradation was 94.6% for the simulated wastewater sample and 86.2% for the wastewater sample from a dyeing village.